After leaving a runner in the first inning, Pioniers came close to a run in the next at bat.
Mark-Jan Moorman led off with a double off of starter Orlando Yntema.
With one out, Quintin De Cuba singled.
Moorman advanced to third, then was waved home, but was thrown out at the plate by rightfielder Christian Diaz.
The Hoofddorp-squad then opened the score in the third at bat, scoring three runs.
Kevin Weijgertse led off with a double and Daniel Fernandes walked, then the two moved on a sacrifice bunt by Dirk van 't Klooster.
To create a force play, the bases were loaded via an intentional walk for Danny Rombley, but that backfired, as Vince Rooi followed with a 2-run double.
Hereafter, Yntema also walked Mark-Jan Moorman, then Pioniers added another run on a sacrifice fly by Kevin Dirksen.
Ricardo Hernandez Sanchez started for Pioniers and didn't encounter much problems in the first three innings.
The lefthander retired the side in the first, then walked a batter with one out in the second, but he stranded.
In the third, Gyenuar Lopez singled for Neptunus with one out and advanced on a wild pitch with two outs, but also was left behind.
Trailing 3-0, Neptunus scored twice in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Lead-off hitter Raily Legito reached on an error, then Gianison Boekhoudt singled and the bases got loaded when Christian Diaz reached on a bunt-single.
Next batter Rien Vernooij followed with a runscoring single.
Hereafter, Stijn van der Meer flied out to centerfield, which appeared to end in a double play.
Boekhoudt took off from third base to score and would have been out at the plate on a throw from centerfielder Danny Rombley, but the throw went errant and a run was scored.
The other two runners advanced, but then Hernandez struckout Shaldimar Daantji and Gyenuar Lopez flied out to end the inning.
After Pioniers left a runner in the top of the fourth, Neptunus came alongside in its half of the inning.
With two outs, Raily Legito singled and Gianison Boekhoudt walked, then Christian Diaz delivered an RBI-double to make it 3-3.
But Neptunus again left two runners behind.
Hernandez retired the side in the sixth, then saw Neptunus get into scoring position in the seventh.
With two outs, Legito singled and Boekhoudt walked.
Legito then stole third base, but the inning then ended when the veteran player tried to score on a grounder to short by Diaz and was eliminated at the plate.
In the top of the eighth inning, Pioniers re-took the lead, scoring three runs.
In the previous inning, Kevin Kelly had taken over the pitching for Neptunus and then closed with a strikeout.
But now the righthander walked lead-off hitter Vince Rooi, then gave up a single to Mark-Jan Moorman.
Kelly was relieved by Loek van Mil, who still is in the country waiting for his visa to leave for the USA.
Van Mil ran into problems.
He first gave up a single to Kevin Dirksen that loaded the bases, then Quintin De Cuba also singled to put Pioniers ahead, 4-3.
With the bases still loaded, rookie Djewi Appelman also singled and two runs were scored on his hit to make it 6-3.
Hereafter, Van Mil struckout Kevin Weijgertse and Daniel Fernandes, then Dirk van 't Klooster flied out to end the inning, but Neptunus faced another deficit.
Hernandez returned to the mound in the bottom of the eighth.
He hit Stijn van der Meer with a pitch with one out, but followed with two strikeouts.
The lefthander then secured the win by retiring the side in the ninth with the final out being recorded on his 149th pitch in the game.
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Pioniers opens 2nd round with win at Neptunus
ROTTERDAM (Neth.) -
Vaessen Pioniers began the Play-Offs a week ago with three losses vs. L&D Amsterdam Pirates, but started the second round on Thursday-evening (August 20) with a 6-3 win at reigning champion Curaçao Neptunus.
