(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Jan Kruijdenberg & Henk Seppen)
 Neptunus wins big vs. UVV
Nederlands
 VLEUTEN (Neth.) -
After losing 12-6 at home on Saturday vs. UVV, Curaçao Neptunus this afternoon (Sunday, March 22) recovered and won big in Vleuten with a 13-1 score in an 8-inning game.
Neptunus rallied for five runs in the first inning and also had a 5-run eighth at bat.
The reigning champion collected 11 basehits, including a double and triple by Sherman Marlin, who was one of four players who had two basehits in today's game.
Three players reached base four times, being Rien Vernooij, Gianison Boekhoudt and Dwayne Kemp.
Four Neptunus-pitchers gave up only four basehits.
Besides giving up 11 basehits, three UVV-hurlers also walked eight batters, but also struckout eight.
Coming weekend, Neptunus will play two games at home against German champion Solingen Alligators, who this weekend played twice against L&D Amsterdam Pirates.
UVV will play two games against Corendon Kinheim.
On a cool afternoon in Vleuten, Neptunus more or less decided the game with a 5-run rally in the first inning off of starter Timo van Ancum.
Adrian Anthony led off with a single and Rien Vernooij walked, then both scored on a double by veteran Raily Legito.
The bases got loaded when Gianison Boekhoudt and Dwayne Kemp both walked.
The next run was then scored on a force play-grounder by Christian Diaz, who played in his first game for Neptunus.
A passed ball and an errant pick-off attempt led to two more runs and gave Neptunus an early 5-0 lead.
...Neptunus-starter Kenny Van Den Branden...
...four hitless innings...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
The starter for Neptunus was Kenny Van Den Branden, who last season was one of the pitchers for UVV.
The Belgian pitcher held his former teammates hitless in the four innings he pitched.
He struckout five and walked one batter.
Initially, Van Den Branden didn't start well.
He walked lead-off hitter Rick Kuipers, then hit both Tony Enos and Gilmer Lampe with a pitch to load the bases.
Van Den Branden then struckout former Neptunian Mike Bazuin and the inning ended when Omar Williams grounded into a double play.
Williams last season played for Tridents, the Rookie League-team of Neptunus.
After getting the bases loaded in the first inning, Van Den Branden retired eleven batters in a row.
Neptunus added a run in the third at bat.
With one out, Sherman Marlin tripled and scored on a following grounder by Urving Kemp.
The Rotterdam-squad lifted the lead to 8-0 by scoring twice in the fifth off of Jurjen van Zijl.
Dwayne Kemp led off with a single and advanced to third base on an one-out double by Sherman Marlin.
An error on a grounder by Urving Kemp then enabled both runners to score.
Jorian van Acker took over the pitching for Neptunus in the fifth inning and he was greeted with the first basehit by UVV when Omar Williams led off with a single.
With two outs, Thomas Smits also singled, but both were left behind.
UVV then scored its lone run in the sixth inning.
Lead-off hitter Sam van Dijck reached on an error, then another error followed on a grounder with one out by Tony Enos.
Next, a single by Gilmer Lampe brought in Van Dijck, but while Enos advanced to third base, Lampe was thrown out at second base trying to advance himself.
Neptunus had another 5-run rally in the eighth inning to increase the lead to 13-1 off of Jim Ploeger, who threw the last three innings for UVV.
He got the bases loaded when Vernooij led off with a single, Legito walked and Boekhoudt also singled.
Hereafter, Dwayne Kemp and Christian Diaz both delivered 2-run singles, while the latter scored the final run on a grounder by Urving Kemp.
(March 22)
Complete Schedule Exhibition Season
| UVV - Curaçao Neptunus 1-13 (8 inn.) |
| R | H | E |
| Curaçao Neptunus | 501 | 020 | 05 | - | 13 | 11 | 2 |
| UVV | 000 | 001 | 00 | - | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| pitchers Neptunus | inn. | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Kenny Van Den Branden, W (2-0) | 4 | 5 | 1 | - | - | - |
| Jorian van Acker | 2 | 1 | - | 3 | 1 | - |
| Kevin Kelly | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Gijs Timmer | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | - |
| pitchers UVV | inn. | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Timo van Ancum, L (1-1) | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Jurjen van Zijl | 2 | 3 | - | 3 | 2 | - |
| Jim Ploeger | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Umpires: HP-Rutger Druijve, 1B-Jan-Willem van der Paauw, 3B-Henri van Heijningen.
Scorer-Angelique van Straten (UVV).
Time-0:00 hr. |
|
...It was a cold afternoon, as shown by umpires Jan-Willem...
...van der Paauw, Henri van Heijningen & Rutger Druijve... | 
...Timo van Ancum started for UVV...
...He threw the first three innings... |
...Sherman Marlin hit a double and triple... | 
...Gilmer Lampe makes a catch in centerfield... |
...Rien Vernooij reaches first base...
...1B Thomas Smits receives the ball not in time... | 
...Jim Ploeger threw the final three innings for UVV...
|
| (© All Photos: Jan Kruijdenberg) |
| 
