 Neptunus & Amsterdam secure second win
Nederlands
    ALMERE / THE HAGUE / ROTTERDAM / HOOFDDORP (Neth.) - On Day 2 of the 2010 baseball season, which was a very cold day, DOOR Neptunus and L&D Amsterdam Pirates both won their second game, while Corendon Kinheim and Konica Minolta Pioniers suffered surprise losses.
Neptunus won 7-1 vs. Sparta-Feyenoord and Amsterdam defeated ADO 9-3, but their victories appear more convincingly then they were in reality.
Both Neptunus and Amsterdam had a late 5-run rally to secure the win.
Kinheim trailed 3-0 vs. Almere Magpies and managed to tie the score in the ninth inning, only to loose eventually, 5-4.
Pioniers also lost its game in the ninth at bat. Leading 1-0 vs. Mr. Cocker HCAW, two runs in the ninth resulted in a 2-1 loss.
Almere Magpies vs. Corendon Kinheim, 5-4
ALMERE (Neth.) - Almere Magpies started its home season with a 5-4 victory vs. Corendon Kinheim, thanks to a ninth inning walk-off RBI-single by Mitch Graham, who was 2-for-5 after having struckout in his first three at bats the day before.
Almere led 3-0 after five innings, but appeared to be left empty-handed when Kinheim scored twice in the seventh and, after Almere added a run in the eighth, came alongside in the top of the ninth inning.
Kinheim came close to a run in the third inning. Rodney Michel led off with a walk and advanced on a sacrifice bunt. He then reached third base on a 2-out infield-hit by René Cremer, but was thrown out at the plate trying to score.
In the home of the third inning, Almere opened the score, saw its first five batters reach base, but scored only once.
Ferd van Stekelenburg led off with a homerun off starter Duko Jansen, who then gave up a single to Sytse Visbeen and Wesley Bernardus reach base on an error.
But then, two bunts resulted in force plays and a strikeout ended the at bat.
In the fifth inning, Almere added two runs to make it 3-0.
Sytse Visbeen and Wesley Bernardus led off with singles and moved on a sac-bunt by Daniël Zijderveld.
Both scored when Mitch Graham followed with his first single in the Dutch big league.
Almere-starter Dennis Burgersdijk, who made his debut in an Almere-uniform, gave up only two basehits in the six innings he threw and struckout three.
In the seventh, rookie Scott Ronnenbergh took over and while he was credited with a 'hold', the Almere-lead not only came into jeopardy, it even faded away.
With two outs, Ronnenbergh walked Rafael Jozefa in the seventh inning, then gave up a single to Rodney Michel.
Next, a single by Björn Henrichs enabled Jozefa and Michel to score and make it 3-2, before a grounder ended the at bat.
In the home of the eighth inning, off reliever Onno Baur, Almere added a run.
Mitch Graham reached on an error, advanced on a sac-bunt and scored on a single by Juriën Overman.
The 2-run difference, however, wasn't enough.
Scott Ronnenbergh, who recengtly signed a professional contract, hit lead-off hitter Bryan Engelhardt with a pitch in the ninth and was relieved by Justin Prinstein, who then gave up an RBI-single to Tjerk Smeets.
With two outs, Remco Draijer also singled to make it a 4-4 tie.
But in the end, Almere did win after all.
With one out, closer Michiel van Kampen hit Wesley Bernardus with a pitch, who then advanced on a grounder and scored the winning run on a single by Mitch Graham.
Line Score, Box Score & Play-by-Play
ADO vs. L&D Amsterdam Pirates, 3-9
THE HAGUE (Neth.) - L&D Amsterdam Pirates led only 2-1 after six innings and 4-3 after eight inning, before rallying for five runs in the ninth inning to win 9-3 vs. ADO.
Pirates registered 16 basehits, including four by Bas de Jong and three doubles by rookie Rashid Gerard, who made his big league-debut.
After four scoreless innings, Amsterdam scored its first run in the fifth inning when Rashid Gerard led off with a double, reached third on a following double by Michael Kramer (another rookie in the Pirate-team) and scored on a sacrifice fly by Kenny Berkenbosch.
ADO reacted with a run of its own. Ludwin Obispo led off with a walk, moved on a sac-bunt, then scored the tying run when an error followed a single by Berti Richardson.
Pirates re-took the lead immediately in the next at bat.
Bas de Jong led off with a single and Vince Rooi doubled, but the the first was thrown out at the plate trying to score on a grounder by Nick Urbanus, who then was forced out on a grounder by another rookie, Roeland Henrique, Jr..
But then Rooi scored the go-ahead run when Rashid Gerard hit his second double in the game.
Amsterdam added two runs in the eighth inning off new pitcher Bobby Carrington, who went on to give up seven runs, three of which were earned.
In the eighth, Nick Urbanus reached on an error and Roeland Henrique, Jr. singled and went on to score on a grounder by Seb Visser (the sixth Amsterdam-rookie in today's game) and a passed ball.
Again, ADO was able to come back, scoring twice in the home of the eighth off closer Pim Walsma.
With one out, Koen Meershoek singled and with two outs, pinch-hitter and former Pirate Jeroen Stentler reached on an error.
Both then scored on a double by pinch-hitter Matt Ryan, narrowing the lead to 4-3.
Pirates then broke open the game with a 5-run rally in the ninth inning on five basehits, including the first four in a row.
Zaïr Koeiman led off with a double, then Kenny Berkenbosch, Bas de Jong and Vince Rooi all singled, leading to two runs.
With one out, a run was scored on a throwing error, then Rashid Gerard added an RBI-double, which was followed by an error that made it 9-3.
Frank van Heijst, who took over the pitching in the fifth inning for American starter Ben Grover, gave up only two hits in the three innings he pitched to become the winning pitcher.
Line Score, Box Score & Play-by-Play
Sparta-Feyenoord vs. DOOR Neptunus, 1-7
ROTTERDAM (Neth.) - DOOR Neptunus led only 2-1 after seven innings, then rallied for five runs in the eighth inning to make it a more comfortable 7-1 score vs. Sparta-Feyenoord, which had only four basehits.
Sparta-Feyenoord's starting pitcher Tim Roodenburg retired the first six batters he saw, then gave up singles in the third and fourth inning, but held Neptunus scoreless for five innings, while his team had taken an 1-0 lead in the third inning.
Neptunus-starter Kevin Heijstek had retired the first seven batters in a row, before giving up an one-out triple to Sape Wagenaar in the third ining, who then scored on a grounder by Jan Baldee.
The latter was released this winter by the Houston Astros after two pro-years, having played in 18 games last season in the Rookie League-team of the Astros.
Trailing 1-0, Neptunus scored two runs in the sixth inning.
Tim Roodenburg hit lead-off hitter and rookie Mourik Huijser with a pitch, who then reached second base safely when an error was made on a force play-grounder by Eugène Kingsale.
A double by Dwayne Kemp then made it 2-1.
Like Baldee, Kemp also was released recently.
Kemp played two seasons in the Rookie League-team of the Chicago Cubs (appearing in 25 games in 2009, hitting .248 with one homerun and 12 RBI's).
In the eighth inning, Neptunus scored five runs off of two pitchers.
Berry van Donselaar started the inning in relief of Roodenburg, but had to be replaced after only four batters, who all reached on a basehit.
Eugène Kingsale and Dwayne Kemp led off with singles, then Raily Legito also singled to make it 3-1.
Next, Danny Rombley tripled, lifting the lead to 5-1.
Hereafter, Van Donselaar was replaced by Herman Gaarman, who gave up an RBI-single to Jeffrey Arends.
The latter would then add another run, scoring on an error.
Veteran lefthander Richard Orman took over the pitching for Neptunus-starter Kevin Heijstek in the sixth inning and was supported with a double play, while striking out three batters.
Pitching the eighth and ninth inning for Neptunus was Leon Boyd, the third player in this game, who recently was released from a professional contract.
After successful appearances with the Dutch National Baseball Team during last years World Baseball Classic, Boyd was offered a contract by the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Canadian-born Boyd pitched in eight games for the single-A team, then is promoted to the double-A team of the Blue Jays, pitching in 36 games.
Despite striking out 51 batters in 64 1/3 inning, Boyd is released and returned to Neptunus.
In his first game back, Boyd strikes out three batters and gives up one basehit.
Line Score, Box Score & Play-by-Play
Konica Minolta Pioniers vs. Mr. Cocker HCAW, 1-2
...The youngest clubmember of Pioniers...
...throws out the ceremonial first pitch...
(© Photo: www.reni-foto.nl) |
HOOFDDORP (Neth.) - Konica Minolta Pioniers led only 1-0 when it entered the ninth inning and in the end, that wasn't enough, as Mr. Cocker HCAW scored twice in the ninth to win 2-1.
The game in Hoofddorp remained scoreless for six innings with both teams not getting any scoring opportunity.
HCAW reached base seven times, with one runner advancing to second base. On the other hand, Pioniers got on base only five times, with two runners reaching second base.
Pionier-starter Eddie Aucoin retired the first six batters, then walked Bart Gabriëls, who then got into a rundown after a pick-off.
In the fourth inning, Michael Pluijmers led off with a single, but stranded at first base.
Aucoin, who gave up only one basehit, was relieved after five innings by Nelson Miguel Santander Olajo, who returned in a Pionier-uniform, having last pitched for the team in 2008.
The Venezuelan gave up a lead-off single to Adrian Anthony, who then became the lone runner to reach second base.
HCAW-starter Joey Eijpe gave up two hits in the first inning, but was supported with a double play, which followed a single by Jefferson Muzo.
Norbert Lokhorst then singled and stole second base, but stranded at second base.
From the second inning on, Eijpe retired 10 batterrs in a row, then was relieved by Joran Klarenbeek, who gave up an one-out single to Jefferson Muzo, who stole second, but was picked off there.
In the seventh inning, Norbert Lokhorst led off with a walk and stole second base. He then advanced on a grounder by Mark Duursma and scored on a wild pitch.
HCAW was held scoreless in the seventh inning by Jean-Paul Gulinck and in the eighth by veteran Dave Draijer, but then scored twice off Maarten Mulder in the ninth.
With one out, Randy Daal homered to tie the score.
Next, Mitchel Koot singled and stole second base.
With one out, Koot scored what would be the winning run on a single by Bart Gabriëls, beating the tag by catcher Mark Duursma, which was disputed by Pioniers.
In the last three innings, three more Pioniers-batters would walk off reliever Kyle Ward, but all would be left behind.
Line Score, Box Score & Play-by-Play
...Mitchel Koot scores the winning run beating the tag...
...by catcher Mark Duursma. Or doesn't he?...
(© Photo: www.reni-foto.nl) |
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...Mitchel Koot scoring the winning run as seen from another angle...
(© Photos: Alfred Cop Fotografie) |
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...You make the decision...
(© Photo: Alfred Cop Fotografie) |
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