 Wins Kinheim, Pirates; Set-back ADO Lakers
Nederlands
    ROTTERDAM / HOOFDDORP / DORDRECHT / VLEUTEN (Neth.) -
On Thursday-evening, Corendon Kinheim and L&D Amsterdam Pirates won the opening games of the final 3-game series of the Play-Offs to keep the race for the Holland Series alive.
Kinheim nipped DOOR Neptunus 2-1, while Amsterdam won big vs. Vaessen Pioniers, 11-0.
Neptunus would have clinched a spot in the Holland Series in case of a victory, but now still can be left empty-handed if it also is beaten in the upcoming two games.
Neptunus and Amsterdam can both reach the best-of-seven final by winning their next game on Saturday.
If even creates the possibility that Amsterdam would reach the Holland Series, while standing in second place.
When Pirates wins Saturday vs. Pioniers and Neptunus is outscored by Kinheim, this would result in a tie for first place between Pirates and Neptunus.
The latter then is the Play-Off leader based on the 2-1 record in its series vs. Pirates in the Play-Offs.
Sunday's games then can lead to a 3-way tie between Neptunus, Pirates and Kinheim, resulting in the last two teams reaching the Holland Series based on head-to-head results.
And so, whatever happens to the games between Neptunus and Kinheim, Amsterdam would reach the final when it wins on Saturday.
The Play-Downs appears to have been decided due to a ruling by the Dutch Federation, as ADO Lakers was informed that eight points were subtracted from its total in the rankings.
Before Thursday's games, ADO Lakers shared last place with Mr. Cocker HCAW, both having earned four points for two victories.
ADO Lakers was handed the ruling, because of the playing of Eugene Henson, who was declared as being ineligible to play for the team.
Henson played in the last four games (3x vs. HCAW, one vs. UVV) for ADO Lakers, hitting 3-for-11 (.273) with two runs scored and three walks.
Included in the four games was a 7-3 victory vs. HCAW, which now is being annulled, with the game having to be replayed.
As a result of the ruling, ADO Lakers had a point-total of minus 6 before Thursday with three games left, meaning it will finish in last place.
On Thursday, ADO Lakers lost 10-0 to Mampaey The Hawks, while HCAW lost 5-4 to UVV.
With this, The Hawks and UVV officially secured a spot in next years big league, regardless of the ruling for ADO Lakers.
As of now, no announcement has been made by ADO Lakers whether it will appeal the ruling.
DOOR Neptunus vs. Corendon Kinheim
At Rotterdam, reigning champion Corendon Kinheim nipped DOOR Neptunus, 2-1 to prolong its possession of the Dutch title for at least two more days.
In case of a loss, Neptunus would have reached the Holland Series, while Kinheim would have been dethroned.
The attractive game was a pitching-duel between David Bergman (Kinheim) and Diegomar Markwell (Neptunnus).
Bergman threw eight strong innings in which he struckout four batters and gave up only two basehits.
The righthander saw Neptunus get into scoring position only in the fifth inning.
Markwell allowed more runners to get into scoring position, but was supported with two fine double plays.
For Kinheim, Jeffrey Arends and Mervin Gario led off the second inning with a walk, but then a double play and pop-fly ended the inning.
In the third, René Cremer and Dirk van 't Klooster singled with two outs to put runners at the corners.
But Markwell then ended the inning by picking off Van 't Klooster at first base.
In the fifth, Ramiro Balentina led off with a walk, moved on a sac-bunt and a grounder, but stranded at third base.
Neptunus got a chance to open the score in the home of the fifth inning.
Gyenuar Lopez led off with a single, then moved to third base when an error was made on a force play-grounder by Rudy Van Heydoorn, who ended up on second base.
But Bergman then followed with a strikeout.
Next, a groundout accounted for the second out.
The inning ended when Gianison Boekhoudt lined out to third baseman Mervin Gario.
In the top of the seventh inning, Kinheim opened the score.
With one out, Mervin Gario walked and Ramiro Balentina singled.
The two advanced on a grounder by Quintin De Cuba, then a single by Roy Seltenrijch made it 1-0.
In the eighth inning, Kinheim doubled its lead.
René Cremer led off with a double down the leftfield-line and advanced to third base when an outfield-error followed.
With one out, a single by Bryan Engelhardt made it 2-0, which marked the end for Markwell, who was relieved by Brendan Wise.
The Australian was greeted with a single by Jeffrey Arends, but then Neptunus turned its third double play of the evening.
David Bergman, who retired 12 of the last 13 batters from the fifth through eighth inning, returned to the mound in the ninth.
But he then gave up a lead-off infield-hit to Raily Legito.
Hereafter, Arshwin Asjes relieved Bergman, but gave up a double down the rightfield-line by Dwayne Kemp.
And so, with no outs, Neptunus had a good chance to tie the score.
However, things went wrong on the basepaths.
Next batter Rafaël Jozefa hit a fly ball to short rightfield.
Legito took off from third base, but had no chance of scoring and returned to the base.
At the same time, while the ball was hit not that far behind the infield, Kemp had also took off from second base and was halfway when Legito returned.
Kemp also returned to his base, but the speedster was too far and ended up short, meaning Kinheim turned a double play.
So, instead of having runners on second and third base with one out, Neptunus now had a runner on third base with two outs.
Gyenuar Lopez followed with a single that brought in Legito, then a flyout ended the inning, leaving Neptunus empty-handed.
Vaessen Pioniers vs. L&D Amsterdam Pirates
At Hoofddorp, L&D Amsterdam Pirates shutout Vaessen Pioniers 11-0 to move closer to clinching a spot in the Holland Series.
Amsterdam collected 16 basehits, including four by Björn Hato, who was 4-for-5, scored three runs and had one RBI.
Bas de Jong was 3-for-5 with a double and homerun.
He collected six runs batted in and scored three runs.
Kenny Berkenbosch also hit three basehits, including a double.
De Jong closed the regular season with a .369 batting average, only .001 higher than Berkenbosch to become the league's Best Hitter.
Last year, De Jong led the league with a .370 average.
Veteran righthander Rob Cordemans threw seven innings in which he gave up only two basehits, while striking out five.
Rookie Daan Hendrix pitched the eighth and final inning.
Amsterdam opened the score with two runs in the first inning off of Kevin Miner when Björn Hato singled with one out and Bas de Jong followed with a homerun.
In the third inning, three runs were added on a single by De Jong, sacrifice fly by Percy Isenia and double by Berkenbosch.
The next run followed in the sixth inning on a single by Hato, then a 5-run rally followed in the eighth inning off of new pitcher Shane Gnade.
Wesley Connor led off with a single, then Michael Duursma walked, followed by a runscoring single by Roelie Henrique.
The bases then got loaded when Björn Hato also singled.
Hereafter, Bas de Jong cleared the bases with a 3-run double.
Kjeld de Lincel then took over the pitching and moments later De Jong scored on sac-fly by Berkenbosch.
Pioniers reached second base only once off of Cordemans, who retired the last 10 batters he faced.
Hendrix gave up a lead-off single to Kevin Dirksen, but then was supported with a double play and ended the 8-inning game with a strikeout.
Mampaey The Hawks vs. ADO Lakers
At Dordrecht, Mampaey The Hawks shutout ADO Lakers, 10-0 in 6 1/2 innings.
By the way, both teams began the game with another pitcher than announced on Wednesday.
Rick van der Post started instead of Timo van Ancum for ADO Lakers, while Kevin Noordzij started instead of Elton Koeiman for The Hawks.
The Hawks collected only nine basehits, with four of them coming in a 4-run first inning.
Van der Post walked Urving Kemp, then hit next batter Shurendell Borgschot, followed by a wild pitch that moved the runners.
A grounder by Steven Wharwood, double by Bob de Bruijn, triple by Berend Ruben and single by Erwin Bonis then made it 4-0.
Three runs were added in the third inning on a 2-run single by Frans van den Heuvel and a double play-grounder by Friso Arkenbout.
Three more runs were scored in the sixth at bat on a 2-run double by Borgschot en single by Wharwood.
UVV vs. Mr. Cocker HCAW
At Vleuten, UVV came from behind to win 5-4 vs. Mr. Cocker HCAW.
Like ADO Lakers and The Hawks, HCAW also changed its announced pitcher, as Tony Kreisel started instead of Sander Helmendach.
HCAW initially took an 1-0 lead in the third inning when Barry Mastenbroek led off with a walk, moved to second and third base on two wild pitches, then scored on a single by Jelle Blaauw.
UVV reacted with three runs in its third bat bat on a double by Norbert Jongerius and a 2-run single by Dennis De Quint.
In the seventh inning, HCAW came alongside off of starter Duko Jansen.
With two outs, Linoy Croes singled, Blaauw was hit by a pitch and the bases got loaded when Jorin van Amstel walked.
A single by Sergino Martis then brought in two runs to tie the score.
Hereafter, Jeroen de Haas took over the pitching for Jansen and finished the inning.
HCAW then took a 4-3 lead in the top of the eigth inning.
Ronald Bouwman led off with a single, then his pinch-runner Peter van Doesburg scored on two errors, but HCAW also left the bases loaded.
However, the lead was shortlived, as UVV answered with two runs.
With one out, the bases got loaded when Dennis De Quint walked, Giovanni Samboe singled and Ferd van Stekelenburg also walked.
Hereafter, Sedley Karel took over for reliever Leon Elshof, who struckout the next batter, but then walked Rossini Frolijk to bring in the tying run and followed with another walk for Dennis Ribbens, which would be decisive.
(September 5)
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