 Vaessen Pioniers wins Van de Vegte Tournament
Nederlands
 NIJMEGEN (Neth.) -
Vaessen Pioniers has won the 25th edition of the annual Jan van de Vegte Memorial Toernooi in Nijmegen.
Despite very unfavorable weather conditions with freezing temperatures and a lot of wind, the tournament went on, but with a adjusted scheduled.
Initially, three games were scheduled to be played on Saturday and Sunday with three games each to be played by the four participating teams.
In the new schedule, two games were played on each day with Saturday's winners meeting each other on Sunday to decide the tournament-win.
Also, the playing time was shortened to one hour and 15 minutes or five innings.
Pioniers won both games, winning 6-1 against host De Hazenkamp on Saturday, then shutting out Mr. Cocker HCAW 3-0 on Sunday.
It wasn't an easy task for the Official Scorers this weekend, as line-up forms or uniform numbers weren't always correct.
Besides that, because of the very cold weather most players wore a jacket, meaning uniform numbers weren't always visible and not all changes were announced.
...Representatives of HCAW, the umpires and the...
...organisation discuss the (weather) situation... | | 
...One of the ceremonial first pitches...
...is thrown... |
...Longtime De Hazenkamp-volunteer Simon Kersten...
...gets a ball from a young player... | | 
...And throws the second ceremonial first pitch...
...to open the 25th edition of the tournament... |
| (© All Photos: www.reni-foto.nl) |
Game One - De Hazenkamp vs. Vaessen Pioniers, 1-6 (4 inn.)
Pioniers opened the score in the first inning.
Zerzinho Croes and Mark Duursma led off with singles to put runners on first and third base, then a sac-fly with one out by Vince Rooi accounted for the run.
The second run was added in the next at bat.
Dè Flanegin led off with a double and moved to third on a single by Kevin Dirksen.
Moments later, Dirksen was safe on second base when a throwing error was made on a force play-grounder by Michael Pluijmers, while Flanegin scored.
Pioniers rallied for four runs in the fourth at bat.
Dè Flanegin (single), Kevin Dirksen (error) and Michael Pluijmers (single) loaded the bases.
An error on a grounder by Chris Williams then led to two runs.
A single by Zerzinho Croes was followed by another error, resulting in two more runs, then an unassisted double play by short stop Jozua van Beek on a line drive ended the inning.
All runs in this at bat were unearned.
In the home of the fourth, De Hazenkamp scored its lone run on a single by Dennis Weijdemuller.
| Line Score | R | H | E |
| Vaessen Pioniers | 110 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 2 |
| De Hazenkamp | 000 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
Umpires: HP-Rudsel Schoobaar, 1B-Henny Jansen, 3B-Olav Steijger.
Official Scorer: Rienette Hamers.
Time: 1:22 hr.
|
...Umpires Henny Jansen, Rudsel Schoobaar and...
...Olav Steijger show their 'winter-outfit'... | | 
...Pioniers-pitchers Mika de Lincel...
...and Swen Huijer... |
| (© Both Photos: www.reni-foto.nl) |
Game Two - Borgerhout Squirrels vs. Mr. Cocker HCAW, 0-2 (5 inn.)
In the second game on Saturday, HCAW shutout Borgerhout, which had no basehits off of the Bussum-pitching.
HCAW scored its first run in the second inning.
Kevin Nieveld and Leroy Croes both walked, then the first was forced out on a grounder by Juriën Overman, but a following throwing error then enabled Croes to open the score.
The second run was added in the fifth inning when rookie Max Clarijs doubled and scored on a 2-out single by Jorin van Amstel.
| Line Score | R | H | E |
| Mr. Cocker HCAW | 010 | 01 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Borgerhout Squirrels | 000 | 00 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Umpires: HP-Henny Jansen, 1B-Fred van Groningen Schinkel, 3B-Johan Brandsma.
Official Scorer: Rienette Hamers.
Time: 1:12 hr.
|
...Juriën Overman hitting for HCAW...
| | 
...HCAW-pitcher Kaj Timmermans...
| | 
...Umpires Fred van Groningen Schinkel...
...and Johan Brandsma... |
| (© All Photos: www.reni-foto.nl) |
Game Three - Vaessen Pioniers vs. Mr. Cocker HCAW, 3-0 (5)
Pioniers won the tournament by shutting out HCAW in the first game on Sunday.
After three scoreless innings, Pioniers rallied for three runs in the fourth inning.
At one moment in this at bat, a batter of Pioniers probably failed to come at bat.
As a result, the recap of this inning might not be correct.
After a lead-off single by Kevin Dirksen a flyout followed, then a double by Shane Boeree led to the first run.
A walk for Skip Visser then followed and, after Chris Williams didn't come to bat an outfield-error on a hit by Zerzinho Croes resulted in two more runs.
HCAW collected only one basehit in this game.
| Line Score | R | H | E |
| Mr. Cocker HCAW | 000 | 00 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Vaessen Pioniers | 000 | 30 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Umpires: HP-Johan Brandsma, 1B-Rudsel Schoobaar, 3B-Fred van Groningen Schinkel.
Official Scorer: Dieks Bannink.
Time: 1:24 hr.
|
...Umpires Fred van Groningen Schinkel, Johan Brandsma...
...and Rudsel Schoobaar wear protective clothes... | | 
...HCAW's Head Coach Ivan Rodriguez... |
...HCAW-pitcher Sedley Karel...
| | 
...Pioniers' Head Coach Robert Klaver (2nd right)...
...with players Zerzinho Croes, Swen Huijer...
...Skip Visser and Mark Duursma... |
| (© All Photos: www.reni-foto.nl) |
Game Four - De Hazenkamp vs. Borgerhout Squirrels, 2-3 (5)
Borgerhout Squirrels claimed third place by winning the final game of the tournament against host De Hazenkamp.
The home team initially opened the score in the third inning when Jozua van Beek was hit by a pitch, moved on a sac-bunt by Erik van Zomeren and scored on a double by Wesley Kamoen.
Borgerhout came alongside in the fourth thanks to a single, then added two runs in the fifth at bat on two doubles (sorry, no names, as the official scorers didn't had the correct names).
De Hazenkamp scored its second run in the home of the fifth when Steffen Vos hit the only homerun of the tournament.
| Line Score | R | H | E |
| Borgerhout Squirrels | 000 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| De Hazenkamp | 001 | 01 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
Umpires: HP-Olav Steijger, 1B-Henny Jansen, 3B-Rudsel Schoobaar.
Official Scorer: Rienette Hamers.
Time: 1:05 hr.
|
...Umpire Rudsel Schoobaar... | | 
...Steffen Vos is greeted after his homerun... |
| (© Both Photos: www.reni-foto.nl) |
(March 25)
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