(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Henk Seppen)
   Team Europe opens Asia Winter Baseball League with tie
Nederlands
 TAICHUNG (Taiwan) -
Team Europe opened the third edition of the Asia Winter Baseball League on Saturday (November 28) with a 9-9 tie against the professional KBO Team from South Korea at Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium.
On Saturday-evening, the second game of the day also ended in a tie, as 2-2 was the final score of the match-up between the professionals of the NPB Team (Japan) and the Taiwan Beer CPBL Team.
It marks the first time in the history of the Asia Winter Baseball League that two games end in a tie on the same day.
Team Europe played a good game, took the lead early, but failed to secure its first victory.
It was productive offensively, but made too many defensive mistakes, resulting in seven unearned runs and eventually the tie.
...Kevin Weijgertse...
...3 hits, HR, Game MVP...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Despite that, it was a good debut for the European squad in this competition.
As said before by the coaching staff, the team showed it can compete well in the league and will be a very competitive opponent for the four Asian teams.
The European squad collected 14 basehits, including three by Kevin Weijgertse, who also homered.
Weijgertse was named Most Valuable Player of the game.
It is custom in Asian (professional) competitions to name a MVP for each game played.
In the Dutch big league, only at home games of L&D Amsterdam Pirates, a Man of the Match is being chosen for many seasons now.
It was a high-hitting game, as the Korean squad registered 13 basehits.
In the seventh inning, the KBO Team led 7-6, but then Weijgertse homered to tie the score.
Team Europe then took a 9-7 led, thanks to two wild pitches and good hitting.
However, a costly error in the eighth inning resulted into two Korean runs that equaled the score at 9-9, which in the end also became the final score.
The games in this league will not go into extra innings.
Lars Huijer was the starting pitcher for Team Europe.
He was followed on the mound by Italians Filippo Crepaldi, Diego Fabiani and Milvio Andreozzi.
Team Europe will play its next game on Sunday (November 29), starting at 12 PM local time (5 AM Dutch time).
Team Europe then meets the Chinese Taipei National Training Team.
Starting pitcher for Europe will by Dutchman Maickel Rietel, who this season pitched for HCAW, but next year will be on the mound for Vaessen Pioniers.
(November 28)
| 
