(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Henk Seppen)
 UVV strikes early in win vs. Neptunus
Nederlands
 ROTTERDAM (Neth.) -
UVV struck early this afternoon (Saturday, March 21) vs. Dutch champion Curaçao Neptunus, led 10-0 in the fifth inning and went on to win 12-6.
UVV collected 15 basehits in the game, including three by Norbert Jongerius and newcomer Tony Enos, who last season played for Mampaey The Hawks.
Joris van Ballegooy scored three runs for UVV, which rallied for five runs in the fifth inning off of Loek van Mil, who made his debut in a Neptunian uniform.
Van Mil gave up three hits, but all runs he gave up were unearned, as two errors contributed to the run-production.
Also playing in his first game of the season for Neptunus was Rien Vernooij, who was today's second baseman.
Vernooij last played for Neptunus in the Holland Series of 2012 when the team was swept in four games by Corendon Kinheim.
He then initially was on the roster for the 2013 season, but quit during the exhibition season.
Vernooij played professionally for three seasons in the organization of the New York Mets (2008-2010).
In all these seasons, Vernooij played for Rookie League-teams of the Mets, including one year in Venezuela.
He played in 111 professional games, hitting .203 (70-for-345), scored 35 runs and batted in 33.
Vernooij now returned to Neptunus and was added to the team's roster again by Head Coach Evert-Jan 't Hoen.
In today's game, Vernooij was 1-for-5.
He doubled and scored in the eighth inning.
Today's game was played on Field # 2 of the Neptunus-complex, as the main field is currently being renovated for the upcoming season.
...Rien Vernooij, here at 3rd base in 2012,...
...returns in a Neptunian uniform...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
UVV opened the score with two runs in the first inning off starter Berry van Driel.
Joris van Ballegooy led off with a walk and Norbert Jongerius singled.
After the two had advanced on a passed ball, grounders by Tony Enos and Gilmer Lampe led to the two runs.
Two runs were added in the second at bat.
With two outs, Rick Kuipers reached on an error, then Van Ballegooy walked.
Both runners scored when Norbert Jongerius followed with a double.
UVV's score was lifted to 5-0 in the third inning when Gilmer Lampe led off with a single, stole second base and later scored on an one-out single by Omar Williams.
After stranding two runners in the fourth inning, UVV enlarged its lead in the fifth, scoring five unearned runs.
Loek van Mil, who last season played professionally in Japan, made his first appearance for Neptunus, but he wasn't supported by his defense.
The towering righthander gave up three hits in this at bat and walked two batters.
Mike Bazuin, the first batter he faced, reached on an error, then Omar Williams singled.
The bases got loaded when next batter Dennis Ribbens also reached on an error.
A passed ball led to the first run, then the bases got loaded again when Thomas Smits walked.
A force at home followed on a grounder by Rick Kuipers, which could have been the third out in the inning.
But now, there was only one out, the bases were loaded and UVV had scored a run.
And four more would follow.
First, Ribbens and Smits both scored on a single by Joris van Ballegooy, then Kuipers scored on another passed ball.
After Jongerius had walked, Van Ballegooy scored the fifth run in the inning on a single by Tony Enos to make it a 10-0 score.
...Joris van Ballegooy...
...2 walks, single, 3 runs, 3 RBI's...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Neptunus scored its first run in the bottom of the sixth inning off of Gilian Lith, who took over the pitching in this at bat, becoming the third pitcher for UVV in this game.
He gave up a lead-off double to Shaldimar Daantji, who went on to score when Adrian Anthony reached on an error with one out.
Neptunus then narrowed the deficit to 10-6 by scoring two runs in the seventh and three in the eighth inning.
Gianison Boekhoudt and Dwayne Kemp both singled in the seventh, which led to the first run.
An error on a grounder with one out by Urving Kemp was then followed by a sacrifice fly by Daantji.
In the eighth, Neptunus added three runs.
Rien Vernooij led off with a double, Raily Legito walked and the bases got loaded when Boekhoudt singled.
With one out, a single by Sherman Marlin brought in two runs and led to a pitching change.
Lith was relieved by Tony Enos, who until then was the team's centerfielder.
He was greeted with a single by Urving Kemp, then Daantji followed with another sac-fly.
But that would be it for Neptunus today.
UVV scored two more runs in the ninth inning off of Floris Timmer.
He had taken over for Van Mil in the sixth and retired nine of the ten batters he faced in the three innings he threw since then.
In the ninth, Timmer gave up three consecutive singles to Dennis Ribbens, Thomas Smits and Rick Kuipers, which loaded the bases.
Sacrifice flies by Joris van Ballegooy and pinch-hitter Sam van Dijck then gave UVV two additional runs to make it 12-6.
In its ninth at bat, Neptunus reached base one more time.
With two outs, Legito reached on an error, but then a grounder ended the game.
Both teams committed three errors, but the three made by the Neptunus-defense led to seven unearned runs.
On Sunday, the two teams meet each other in Vleuten, the site of UVV.
(March 21)
Complete Schedule Exhibition Season
| Curaçao Neptunus - UVV 6-12 (9 inn.) |
| R | H | E |
| UVV | 221 | 050 | 002 | - | 12 | 15 | 3 |
| Curaçao Neptunus | 000 | 001 | 230 | - | 6 | 8 | 3 |
| (game played on Field # 2) |
| pitchers UVV | inn. | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Martijn van Soest, W (1-0) | 4 | - | 1 | - | - | - |
| Kevin Noordzij | 1 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Gilian Lith | 2.1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 4 |
| Tony Enos | 1.2 | - | - | 1 | - | - |
| pitchers Neptunus | inn. | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Berry van Driel, L (0-1) | 4 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 3 |
| Loek van Mil | 1 | - | 2 | 3 | 5 | - |
| Floris Timmer | 4 | - | - | 5 | 2 | 2 |
Umpires: HP-Fred van Groningen Schinkel, 1B-Rutger Druijve, 3B-Olav Steijger.
Scorer-Angelique van Straten (UVV).
Time-0:00 hr. |
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