(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Henk Seppen)
   Dutch U21 Team adds second win in 2nd Round
Nederlands
 TAICHUNG (Taiwan) -
The Netherlands Under 21 Team today was outhit 10-8 by New Zealand, but won 9-5, thanks to a 7-run rally in the seventh inning.
Italy played a fine game against Venezuela and won 9-5 to become the leader in Group D, which plays for seventh through eleventh place.
Tomorrow, Italy meets the Dutch squad.
In the Championship Group, the Czech Republic lost 9-4 to Australia.
...Winning pitcher Scott Ronnenbergh...
...This season, he pitched for Vaessen Pioniers...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Earlier in the day, Japan nipped South Korea 1-0 to remain unbeaten and become the first team to qualify for the all-deciding final.
In the evening, Taiwan shutout Nicaragua 2-0 to also remain unbeaten and become the second finalist.
In this last game, Dutch Umpire Winfried Berkvens was behind the plate.
Before the game started, the players of New Zealand performed the traditional 'Haka' in Dou-Liou Baseball Stadium.
After the game went underway, the Dutch Team opened the score in the bottom of the second inning.
Aldair Adamus and Milton Croes led off with singles, but the first was forced out at third base when Cezan Rafaela bunted the ball towards pitcher Ben Thompson.
The bases then got loaded when Urving Kemp walked and a wild pitch then enabled Croes to score the first run.
Next, the bases were re-loaded when Jules Peters also walked, but the inning ended when Dennis Gustina grounded into a double play.
After being held hitless in the first three innings, New Zealand answered with two runs in the fourth inning.
New Zealand, which is more known for its softball than for its baseball, registered three hits in this at bat.
Dutch starter Reggie Bomberg first gave up a lead-off triple to Daniel Bradley.
With one out, Bradley was unable to advance on an infield-hit by Connar O'Gorman, but he then scored the tying run when Boss Moanaroa followed with another single.
With runners on first and third base, New Zealand took a 2-1 lead when O'Gorman scored on a wild pitch.
A walk for Dewald De Klerk followed, but then a double play prevented more runs.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Orange squad came alongside.
Off of new pitcher Mitchel Austin-Watts, lead-off hitter Jules Peters reached on an error.
Dennis Gustina then hit a bunt-single towards third base.
That was followed by a throwing error, enabling the speedy Peters to round the bases and scored the tying run.
Gustina ended up on third base, but stranded there when a flyout and two grounders followed.
New Zealand immediately got the run back in the sixth inning.
Daniel Bradley led off with a single and advanced on a following throwing error.
He then moved on a flyout and gave New Zealand a 3-2 lead when Connar O'Gorman grounded out.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Dutch Team failed to do something back and left three runners behind.
Aldair Adamus led off with a walk and Milton Croes reached on an error, then the two moved on a sacrifice bunt by Cezan Rafaela.
This led to a pitching change.
Reliever Samuel Harvey first struckout pinch-hitter Daniel Fernandes, but then loaded the bases when he walked Jules Peters.
But the inning then ended when Adamus was forced out at home on a grounder by Dennis Gustina, leaving the bases loaded.
In the top of the seventh inning, lefthander Scott Ronnenbergh became the new pitcher for the Dutch.
With one out, he gave up three consecutive singles that loaded the bases.
But the Dutch defense then turned its third double play in the game.
Still trailing 3-2, the Dutch Team turned the game its way when it rallied for seven runs in the home of the seventh inning on four basehits, highlighted by a back-to-back double and triple.
Eleven Dutch batters stepped up to the plate in this at bat.
Lead-off hitter Kirvin Moesquit was hit by a pitch, then stole second and third base.
Next, Kevin Moesquit walked and that brought in a new pitcher.
He was greeted with an RBI-single by Kevin Weijgertse that tied the score.
The bases then got loaded when Aldair Adamus walked and Milton Croes followed with a 2-run double to give the Dutch a 5-3 lead.
Cezan Rafaela then added a 2-run triple that made it 7-3.
Pinch-hitter Steven Wharwood then walked and Jules Peters followed with a single that brought in another run.
New Zealand then finally went to the bullpen and brought in a new pitcher.
He got a double play-grounder from Dennis Gustina, but that also brought in the seventh run in this at bat and gave the Dutch a 9-3 lead.
New Zealand didn't gave way that easy, as it scored twice in the top of the eighth inning off of Ronnenbergh.
A throwing error and a single produced the runs, but was to be it for New Zealand.
In the ninth, Ronnenbergh walked a batter with one out, but then a flyout and strikeout ended the game.
| Pitchers |
| Pitcher | INN | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Reggie Bomberg | 6 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Scott Ronnenbergh, W (1-0) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
Today's starting line-up was as follows:
Kirvin Moesquit (SS, 0-for-3), Kevin Moesquit (2B, 0-for-4), Kevin Weijgertse (1B, 1-for-5), Aldair Adamus (C, 1-for-3), Milton Croes (RF, 2-for-5), Cezan Rafaela (3B, 2-for-3), Urving Kemp (DH, 0-for-1), Jules Peters (LF, 1-for-2), Dennis Gustina (CF, 1-for-4).
In the bottom of the 6th inning, Daniel Fernandes (0-for-1) was pinch-hitter for Kemp, then became the new designated hitter.
In the bottom of the 7th inning, it was Steven Wharwood (0-for-0), who entered as pinch-hitter for Fernandes and he then became the third Dutch DH in this game.
Other scores:
Thursday, November 14
Championship Group
Japan vs. South Korea, 1-0
Czech Republic vs. Australia, 4-9
Taiwan vs. Nicaragua, 2-0
7th-11th Place
Italy vs. Venezuela, 9-5
Netherlands vs. New Zealand, 9-5
(November 14)
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