Cuba vs. Netherlands
Initially, the game went to go the way of Cuba, as it was leading 4-0 after four complete innings.
However, from the fifth inning on, the game belonged to the Netherlands, which unfortunately failed to hold onto a lead twice and ended up empty-handed.
In the top of the first inning, the Netherlands left a runner in scoring position, then starting pitcher Maud Werkman retired the side in the Cuban first.
In the second inning, with one out, Sofie van de Wiel reached on an error, but then was eliminated trying to advance an additional base.
Moments later, Cuba opened the score with two runs in its second at bat off of Werkman.
Yordanka Rodríguez León and Yusnavi Bonne Magaña led off with walks, then both scored in the same situation.
Rodríguez first scored on a wild pitch, which brought Bonne to third base and the latter also scored when a throwing error followed.
In the third inning, Thari Diefenbach led off with a double for the Netherlands, advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Kyra van Genderen, but then stranded.
With two outs in the bottom of the third, Cuba added a run.
Yordanka Rodríguez León singled with one out, which led to a pitching change.
Marijke van Veen took over, but was greeted with a runscoring double by Yusvani Bonne Magaña to make it 3-0.
The Orange women again got in scoring position in the top of the fourth inning.
With one out, Marije Filius and Bianca Mooi both singled, but a force out and strikeout followed.
Cuba then scored its fourth run shortly hereafter.
With two outs, Claudia Jorge Fajardo walked and scored on a following double by Dayanna Batista Vega.
Trailing 4-0, the Netherlands Team started to come back in the top of the fifth inning.
With one out, Kyra van Genderen singled, stole second base, moved on a single by Isabelle Markies and scored on a force play-grounder by Esther Maliepaard.
In the sixth inning, the Orange Team narrowed the deficit to 4-2.
Marije Filius led off with a double and Bianca Mooi followed with a bunt-single, resulting in runners at first and third base and a pitching change.
Mooi was then caught stealing, but Filius scored the second Dutch run when Sofie van de Wiel's grounder ended in an error.
Cuba took some more distance in the bottom of the sixth when lead-off hitter Jessica De La Caridad Herrera Reimond was hit by a pitch and later scored on a 2-out single by Claudia Jorge Fajardo.
In the top of the seventh inning, the Netherlands trailed 5-2, but then struck with a 4-run rally to take a 6-5 lead!
Kyra van Genderen led off with a walk and next batter Isabelle Markies singled.
Esther Maliepaard followed with a runscoring single, then the bases got loaded when Famke Gildemacher walked.
A pitching change followed, but new pitcher Maite Despaigne Silva began with a walk for Marije Fillius, which led to a run and narrowed the deficit to only 5-4.
A strikeout then accounted for the first out and hereafter Filius was forced out on a grounder by Sofie van de Wiel.
But that also brought in Maliepaard with the tying run.
Gildemacher had advanced to third base, then scored the go-ahead run when Sascha Egas singled.
The Orange got the bases loaded when next batter Thari Diefenbach was hit by a pitch.
Unfortunately, the three runners were left behind when an pop-fly ended the at bat.
The lead was shortlived, as Cuba came alongside in its seventh inning.
Nilsa Esleidis Rodríguez Treval led off with a single.
With one out, Anouk Vergunst took over the Dutch pitching, but she saw Rodríguez steal both second and third base.
She then scored the tying run on a sacrifice fly by Yordanka Rodríguez León.
With the score now at 6-6, the game went into extra innings, meaning the tie-break rule came into effect.
In the top of the eighth, the Dutch Team started with the same batting order as it had finished the seventh inning.
The team scored two runs to re-take the lead.
Tie-break runners Winke Verdick (pinch-runner, 2nd base) and Kyra van Genderen (1st base) took off for a double-steal.
The first appeared the be eliminated, but an error followed and so, both runners were now in scoring position.
With one out, Verdick scored on a single by Esther Maliepaard, then Van Genderen was awarded home plate when pitcher Despaigne made a balk.
With Maliepaard on second base, the next two batters were retired, but the Netherlands now led 8-6.
Again, the team was unable to hold on the lead, as Cuba answered with three runs in its eighth at bat.
Cuba didn't start with the batting order in which it ended the seventh inning.
Instead, it put its number 8 and 9 batters on the bases and started with its number one batter of the batting order in the batter's box.
The Netherlands got two outs on a nice play, but ended up empty-handed after all.
Pinch-runner Adalenis Varona Gonzalez (2nd base) and Claudia Jorge Fajardo (1st base) first executed a double-steal.
With runners on second and third base, Dayanna Batista Vega flied out.
Varona took off to score, but she was eliminated in a double play at the plate on a nice defensive play by leftfielder Kyra van Genderen, 3B Famke Gildemacher and catcher Sofie van de Wiel.
And so, with two outs, the Netherlands was leading 8-6, one out away from victory.
Cuba then scored a run on a following single by Nilsa Esleidis Rodríguez Treval that made it 8-7.
Odrisleisis Peguero del Sol followed with another single and then a double-steal led to runners on second and third base.
With first base open, Yordanka Rodríguez León was the next batter.
She had been very productive for Cuba and she underscored that in this at bat, as she delivered a 2-run, walk-off double that gave Cuba a 9-8 victory.
Rodríguez was 2-for-3 this afternoon, scored two runs and batted in three, making her responsible for five of the nine Cuban runs!
Isabelle Markies, Esther Maliepaard (3 RBI's), Marije Filius and Bianca Mooi all registered two basehits, while Kyra van Genderen scored three runs.
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Netherlands baseball-women lose thriller in 8th inning
GIJANG-GUN, BUSAN (South Korea) -
The Netherlands Women Baseball Team ended up just short on Wednesday (September 7) in its first game of the Consolation Pool of the World Women Baseball Championship in South Korea, losing 9-8 in eight innings.
The Orange squad faced Cuba and initially faced an early 4-0 deficit.
However, the game turned into a thriller when the Dutch women started to come back from the fifth inning on.
In the top of the seventh inning, trailing 5-2, a 4-run rally gave the Orange a 6-5 lead, but Cuba came alongside to force extra innings.
Third game in history against Cuba.