 Neptunus wins fourth; Another 10-run loss for Sparta-Feyenoord
Nederlands
    AMSTERDAM / BUSSUM / HAARLEM / ROTTERDAM (Neth.) -
DOOR Neptunus kept its unbeaten status intact on Thursday-evening, as it opened the 3-game series against Dutch champion L&D Amsterdam Pirates with a 6-1 win.
On the other hand, Sparta-Feyenoord suffered its fourth 10-run loss in a row, as it lost 16-2 to AamigoO ADO Lakers.
Corendon Kinheim scored three runs in the first inning and that was enough to hold on for its pitching, as the Haarlem-team won 4-1 vs. UVV.
Mr. Cocker HCAW again showed some toughness in its opener against Vaessen Pioniers.
After both teams scored once in the fifth, Pioniers took a 3-1 lead in the seventh, but the home team immediately answered with two runs to tie the score.
Due to the curfew-rule, the game therefore ended in a 3-3 tie.
L&D Amsterdam Pirates vs. DOOR Neptunus
At Amsterdam, DOOR Neptunus took charge of the game quickly, scoring five runs in the first two at bats en rout to a 6-1 victory.
For Neptunus, this was its 1301st game in the highest division since making its debut in 1979.
Neptunus only missed the 1985 season in the Dutch big league after relating the year before.
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...Rafaël Jozefa...
...enjoys his homerun...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
In the first two innings, the Rotterdam-squad collected seven basehits off of Jos de Jong, who got the starting assignment instead of Rob Cordemans, who was unavailable due to the flu.
Neptunus started the game with four consecutvie basehits.
Dwayne Kemp and Rafaël Jozefa first singled, then Raily Legito and Jeffrey Arends followed with RBI-singles to make it a quick 2-0 score, before a double play and grounder ended the at bat.
In its first at bat, Amsterdam got the bases loaded with one out, but failed to score.
Wesley Connor led off with a walk and stole second, then Sidney de Jong's grounder with one out was misplayed.
Next, Vince Rooi walked to load the bases, but then a strikeout and force-out followed.
A 2-out error led to three more Neptunus-runs in the second inning.
Mourik Huijser singled with one out, then an error was made on a 2-out grounder by Dwayne Kemp.
Next, Rafaël Jozefa homered to make it 5-0.
In the third inning, Amsterdam got one run back.
Wesley Connor led off with a single, then advanced when Roelie Henrique also singled.
Sidney de Jong then flied out, but it enabled Connor to move to third base.
Connor then scored on an infield-hit in front of the catcher by Vince Rooi, but then two runners stranded.
From the third inning on, Jos de Jong held Neptunus to only one basehit and struckout three batters through the fifth, but didn't got run-support.
Neptunus-starter Diegomar Markwell held Amsterdam to only three hits (all in the third) and struckout six, before being relieved by Tim Roodenburg in the sixth.
The righthander saw Amsterdam load the bases in the seventh inning with one out.
Björn Hato was then hit by a pitch and Wesley Connor and Roelie Henrique both singled, but then Sidney de Jong grounded into a double play to end the inning.
Neptunus added its sixth run in the top of the seventh off Nick Stuifbergen, who had taken over the pitching in the pevious at bat.
With one out, Jeffrey Arends doubled and scored when Lennart Koster followed with a single.
Neptunus collected 13 basehits with five players hitting two.
Pirates got only five basehits.
Wesley Connor and Roelie Henrique each hit two of them.
Standings, Schedule & Score
Line Score, Box Score & Play-by-Play
Mr. Cocker HCAW vs. Vaessen Pioniers
At Bussum, the earlier curfew-rule resulted in a 3-3 tie in the game between Mr. Cocker HCAW and Vaessen Pioniers.
Since this season, the curfew-rule moved up from 10:50 PM to 10:30 PM, meaning that no new inning may be started after that time has been reached.
The change of rule goes hand-in-hand with the new starting time for weekgames, which changed from 7:45 PM to 7:30 PM.
Pioniers and HCAW both scored in the fifth inning after both teams got scoring opportunities in the previous four at bats.
In its first inning, Michael Duursma led off for Pioniers with a walk, but would be left at second base.
In the third Gyenuar Lopez singled with two outs, but was caught stealing.
In the fourth, Norbert Lokhorst and Dè Flanegin singled with two outs, but then a force out followed.
Pioniers then opened the score in the fifth.
Michael Pluijmers (ex-HCAW) led off with a single, then Zerzinho Croes reached on an error.
With two outs, Gyenuar Lopez flied out and Pluijmers advanced, but as a throwing error followed, he also was able to score the first run.
HCAW left the bases loaded in the second inning.
With two outs, Glenn Romney and Dylan de Mello singled and Jorin van Amstel walked, but a pop-fly ended the at bat.
In the fourth, Kevin Gerard led off with a single and Seb Visser walked.
The two moved on a sac-bunt by Glenn Romney, but would both strand.
In the home of the fifth, HCAW came alongside.
With one out, Jasper Keijzer doubled and advanced on a grounder by Linoy Croes.
Keijzer then scored on a single by Juriën Overman, which also led to a pitching change.
Swen Huijer took over, but did't face a batter, as Overman first stole second base, then was caught stealing at third to end the inning.
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...Rookie HCAW-starter Leon Elshof gave up one unearned run...
...and walked only one batter in 6 innings...
(© Photo: Alfred Cop Fotografie) |
Pioniers re-took the lead by scoring twice in the seventh inning off lefthander Robin Schel, who had just came in as reliever of starter Leon Elshof.
With two outs, Zerzinho Croes and Michael Duursma singled, then both scored when Gyenuar Lopez doubled.
Mark Duursma then walked, but a force play ended the inning.
In the home of the seventh, HCAW showed its toughness by answering with two runs to tie the score again.
Dylan de Mello led off with a single and then Swen Huijer was relieved by Jan Řeháček, but the Czech lefthander started by walking Jorin van Amstel.
After the two runners advanced on a sac-bunt by Barry Mastenbroek, the lefthander uncorked a wild pitch that led to a run.
Moments later, Van Amstel stole home plate to tie the score, but two strikeouts ended the inning.
Pioniers left the bases loaded in the ninth inning.
Zerzinho Croes led off with a single and moved on a sac-bunt by Michael Duursma.
Gyenuar Lopez was then walked intentionally and that brought in new pitcher Sander Helmendach.
He fielded a comebacker by Mark Duursma that moved the two runners.
Next batter Mark-Jan Moorman was then also walked intentionally to keep the force play intact, but then Norbert Lokhorst flied out.
In the home ninth Glenn Romney led off with a single off new pitcher Jean-Paul Gulinck and then moved on a sac-bunt by Dylan de Mello.
This time, an intentional walk followed for Jorin Amstel.
But the force play wasn't needed, as Gulinck followed with two strikeouts to end the inning and eventually the game.
For HCAW, it was the second time in its four games played that it had to stop due to the curfew-rule.
Standings, Schedule & Score
Line Score, Box Score & Play-by-Play
Corendon Kinheim vs. UVV
At Haarlem, Corendon Kinheim scored three runs in the first inning and that was all it needed en route to a 4-1 win vs. UVV.
Kinheim had a productive first inning off UVV-starter Orlando Yntema.
The righthander started with a strikeout, but then gave up a single to Mervin Gario.
Yntema then added another strikeout, but Bryan Engelhardt followed with his second homerun of the season.
Hereafter, Ramiro Balentina singled and scored the third Kinheim-run when Quintin de Cuba followed with a double.
In the next three innings, Yntema held Kinheim from scoring and struckout four batters to raise his total to six.
UVV, which left runners on first and third base in the second inning, then got one run back in the fourth inning off David Bergman.
With two outs, Ryan Murphy singled, then scored when Giovannie Samboe tripled.
Bergman then retired the next seven batters in a row, before giving up a lead-off single in the seventh inning to Ryan Murphy, his third basehit of the evening.
But Bergman followed with a strikeout, then saw Murphy move to third base when an error was made on a grounder by Shurty Tremus.
A welcome out then followed, as Tremus was caught stealing and then a grounder ended the inning, leaving Murphy at third base.
Pim Walsma took over the pitching in the eighth inning, walked a batter, but had no problems.
Arshwin Asjes then saw a batter reach base with two outs in the ninth on an error, but also had no problems, as a flyout followed to earn his a save.
Kinheim added its fourth run in the eighth inning off Derek Tarapacki, the third UVV-pitcher of the evening.
Quintin de Cuba led off with a double, then Niels van Weert was hit by a pitch.
After a strikeout, De Cuba scored when an error followed on a single by Remco Draijer.
David Bergman struckout eight batters, walked none and gave up only five hits.
Only two players accounting for these hits, Ryan Murphy hit three, Giovannie Samboe two.
Standings, Schedule & Score
Line Score, Box Score & Play-by-Play
Sparta-Feyenoord vs. AamigoO ADO Lakers
At Rotterdam, AamigoO ADO Lakers collected 13 basehits and won 16-2 vs. Sparta-Feyenoord, which suffered its fourth consecutive 10-run, mercy-rule loss.
Former pro Rudy van Heydoorn, who was added to the ADO-roster earlier this week, went 2-for-3, a double and a homerun, reached base four times, scored three runs and had four RBI's in his debut-game in the Dutch big league.
Sparta-Feyenoord opened the score in the first inning.
With one out, Theodore van Heijningen singled and stole second base, then scored on a 2-out double by Churandy La Cruz.
The lead was shortlived, as ADO Lakers scored seven unearned runs in the third inning to take a commanding lead.
Two errors were costly, as no runs would have been scored when the plays would have been made.
With one out, Anthony Hooi walked, then moved to third base when an error was made on a force play-grounder by Gino Hersilia.
A passed ball then resulted in the tying run and put Hersilia at second base, who then scored when Evan Porter doubled.
A fly to centerfield by Ludwin Obispo then ended in another error and the bases got loaded when Phil Ortez singled.
Enrique Tromp followed with another single, leading to two runs and the bases got re-loaded when new addition Rudy Van Heydoorn walked.
The scoring continued, as Remco Seitzinger followed with an RBI-single.
After Gregory Hassell was eliminated for the second time in this at bat, Anthony Hooi singled in two more runs to make it a 7-1 score.
Sparta-Feyenoord managed to score a run again in the home of the third.
Jarred Duin led off with a single, advanced on a single by Kevin van Nederpelt (who was then picked off) and scored on a 2-out single by Anthony Vrolijk.
In the sixth, Sparta-Feyenoord left the bases loaded after ADO Lakers had rallied for five runs in the top half of the at bat.
Evan Porter then doubled with one out and Ludwin Obispo reached on an error.
A single by Phil Ortez then led to a run.
Lenko Elisabeth was then brought in as new pitcher, but was greeted with an RBI-single by Enrique Tromp, then gave up a 3-run homerun to Rudy van Heydoorn that made it 12-2.
In the seventh inning, ADO added four more runs.
Porter hit his third double of the evening, then the bases got loaded with two outs when Ortez and Tromp walked.
A run was then scored when Van Heydoorn was hit by a pitch and two more runs followed on a single by Glennton Poulo.
Moments later, Van Heydoorn scored ADO's 16th run on a wild pitch.
The four consecutive mercy-rule 10-run losses at the start of a season almost surely are a record in Dutch baseball.
 In 1997, ADO started the season with three 10-run losses in a row.
In 1998, PSV was handed five 10-run losses in its first seven games, including the first three in a row vs. Neptunus.
In 2008, Sparta-Feyenoord began with two 10-run losses, but then registered a 10-run victory itself a week later in its third game of the season.
Standings, Schedule & Score
Line Score, Box Score & Play-by-Play
(April 12)
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