(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Henk Seppen & Alfred Cop)
 HCAW registers one-run difference win vs. DSS
Nederlands
 BUSSUM (Neth.) -
HCAW nipped DSS 3-2 in its lone exhibition game of this weekend, played today (Sunday, March 22) in Bussum.
Initially, the Bussum-squad was to play two games against the German squad Mainz Athletics, which had withdrawn from those games some weeks ago.
Instead, HCAW today played against DSS, which last Friday-evening played an intersquad-game against its Rookie Team.
HCAW led 3-0 after three innings, but then DSS made it an one-run game by scoring twice in the fifth at bat to narrow the deficit to 3-2.
In the last four innings of the game, DSS got only one more runner into scoring position, while HCAW left two runners in scoring position in those at bats.
Next weekend, HCAW participates in the annual Van de Vegte Memorial on the site of De Hazenkamp in Nijmegen.
DSS participates in the Haarlem Series at the site of Onze Gezellen in Haarlem.
...Raoell Kortstam playing for Amsterdam Pirates...
...in 2012 on the field in Bussum he now calls home...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Making his debut in a HCAW-uniform today was Raoell Kortstam, who was the lead-off hitter, played in rightfield (later centerfield), reached base twice, hit a single in the fourth and scored once.
Kortstam, who played professionally for one season, initially was to be one of the players for ADO Lakers this year.
After last season, he had transferred to the team from The Hague from Amsterdam Pirates.
After the withdrawal of ADO Lakers in February, Kortstam decided to transfer to HCAW.
The 23-year old Kortstam, born in Amsterdam, but of Surinamese descent, started his career in youth-teams of Almere '90, then moved to Amsterdam Pirates.
While playing in the Amsterdam Rookie Team, the outfielder signed a professional contract.
He initially was assigned to play in Australia in the winter of 2009, then played 20 games in the Rookie League-team of the Boston Red Sox in the Dominican Summer League in the Dominican Republic in 2010.
He batted .143 (7-for-49), scoring nine runs and batting in four.
Kortstam was released in February 2011 and returned home to the Netherlands.
Later in 2011, he made his debut in the big league-team of L&D Amsterdam Pirates, appearing in two games and added three more games in the Play-Offs.
He then played in seven games for Amsterdam in the big league in 2012 and four more in 2013.
Kortstam also participated with Pirates in the 2011 European Cup-tournament.
HCAW opened the score with one run in the first at bat off of starter Kevin Bosch, who last season pitched for the Rookie Team of Amsterdam Pirates.
With one out, Peter van Doesburg walked, advanced on a wild pitch, then scored on a 2-out single down the leftfield-line by Rossini Frolijk, who so far is very productive during this exhibition season.
After stranding a runner on first base in the second inning, HCAW added two runs in the third at bat.
Raoell Kortstam led off with a walk, then reached second base safely when a throwing error was made trying to force him out on a comeback-grounder by Peter van Doesburg.
The bases got loaded when Bosch walked Roy Seltenrijch, which led to a pitching change.
Mike Groen (another former Pirate-Rookie) took over and saw Rossini Frolijk ground into a double play, but that of course enabled Kortstam to score.
Hereafter, Aldrich Guzman single to bring in Van Doesburg and increase the lead to 3-0.
HCAW again got the bases loaded when Jim Froberg walked and Rowan van Hoek singled, but this time, three runners stranded, as a foul-fly ended the inning.
In the remainder of the game, HCAW got into scoring position only two more times.
In the sixth inning, off of new pitcher Jorn van Ingen, Rowan van Hoek led off with a double, moved on an one-out grounder by Brian Biezen, but was left at third base.
Van Ingen then retired the side in the seventh.
In the eighth at bat, off of Max Ploegstra, Van Hoek walked with two outs and stole second base, but was left behind again.
Besides reaching base three times, Van Hoek also made some fine defensive plays this afternoon at third base.
DSS, which batted with 11 batters, got a runner on third base in the first inning off of starter Sander Helmendach.
He walked lead-off hitter Mark Smit (ex-RCH-Pinguïns), but followed with a strikeout.
Smit then stole second base and advanced on a grounder by Mitchel Koot, but was left behind when Ryan Miner lined out.
In the second inning, Tino van Erk led off with a walk, but the HCAW-defense then turned a double play.
In the third inning, Mitchel Dautzenberg singled with one out for DSS, but later stranded on third base.
DSS then had a productive fifth at bat off of rookie Giovanni Tensen, who had taken over for Helmendach in the previous inning.
With two outs, he gave up singles to Shane Boeree (ex-Pioniers) and Mitchel Dautzenberg.
A walk for Lex Leijenaar (former RCH-Pinguïns) then loaded the bases.
Hereafter, Joffrey Heus delivered a 2-run single that narrowed the deficit to 3-2.
But DSS left runners on second and third base when a flyout ended the inning.
In the sixth inning, Tony Kreisel became the new HCAW-pitcher.
He saw Levine Gabriëls (who last year played for HCAW) reach second base in the seventh inning, but he became the last DSS-runner to get into scoring position.
Maickel Rietel was today's closer for HCAW.
He retired the side in the eighth, then gave up a 2-out single to Ryan Miner in the ninth, but he was the last baserunner for the Haarlem-squad today.
(March 22)
Complete Schedule Exhibition Season
| R | H | E |
| DSS | 000 | 020 | 000 | - | 2 | 8 | 1 |
| HCAW | 102 | 000 | 000 | - | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| pitchers DSS | inn. | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Kevin Bosch, L (0-2) | 2 (*) | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Mike Groen | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | - | - |
| Jorn van Ingen | 2 | 2 | - | 1 | - | - |
| Max Ploegstra | 2 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - |
| (*) - Bosch pitched to 3 batters in the third inning |
| pitchers HCAW | inn. | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Sander Helmendach, W (1-0) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - |
| Giovanni Tensen, H (1) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Tony Kreisel, H (1) | 2 | - | 1 | 1 | - | - |
| Maickel Rietel, SV (1) | 2 | 1 | - | 1 | - | - |
Umpires: HP-Efrem Silvania, 1B-Edwin Louisa, 3B-Roy van de Wateringen.
Scorer-Rob Schuurman (HCAW).
Time-2:44 hr. |
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...Starter Sander Helmendach... | 
...Reliever Giovanni Tensen... |
...Closer Maickel Rietel...
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...Mitchel Dautzenberg reaches on an infield-hit in 3rd inning...
...HCAW's 1B Aldrich Guzman tries to field the ball... |
| (© All Photos: Alfred Cop Fotografie) |
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