L&D Amsterdam Pirates vs. Greece
The Greek team used the field in Amsterdam in the afternoon for a practice-session and had a meal in the clubhouse.
On a nice evening, Greece then played against Amsterdam Pirates, which captured the European Champions Cup early June.
During the well-visited game, there was some Greek music, including Zorba's Dance, but of course also the familiar Amsterdam-oriented songs used by the home team.
And in the scorebox, there were some special cakes, which were 'much liked' by Public Address Announcer Hans Jansen de Vries.
After the playing of the Greek National Anthem, Robin Schel took the mound for Amsterdam and retired the side.
Moments later, the home team rallied for three runs with two outs in its first at bat off of starter Theodoros Bourdaniotis.
With one out, the lefthander gave up a single to Michael Duursma, who went on to score the first run on a 2-out triple by Kenny Berkenbosch.
The bases got loaded when next batters Danny Rombley and Koen Nooij were both hit by a pitch.
Patrick Bok followed with a 2-run single to make it 3-0.
In the second inning, Greece got the bases loaded with two outs.
Dimitrios Kourtis led off with a single and with two outs, Christos Kapothanasis and Theodoros Bourdaniotis both walked.
But they all stranded when Schel closed with a strikeout.
New Greek pitcher Jonathan Kountis had a fine outing in the bottom of the second inning.
With one out, he gave up a single to rookie Marijn van Berkel, but retired the next two batters.
He then saw Greece narrow the deficit to 3-2 in the third at bat.
Max Warren led off with a single and Jamie Lekas was hit by a pitch, then the two moved on a wild pitch.
Hereafter, a sacrifice fly by Georgios Thliveris led to the first Greek run.
With two outs, Lekas scored the second run when an error was made on a grounder by Alexandros Gounaris.
But hereafter, Greece was held scoreless and would reached base only four more times.
...Greek starter Theodoros Bourdaniotis...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
In the bottom of the third inning, Amsterdam scored two unearned runs.
With the bases loaded, the Greek defense made a nice defensive play by forcing out at runner at the plate, but hereafter, Max Clarijs delivered a 2-run single that made it 5-2.
In the top of the fourth inning, Dennis Burgersdijk took over the Amsterdam-pitching for Robin Schel, who had become the pitcher-of-record.
In exhibition games and All Star Games, there are other rules regarding the necessary innings to be pitched by a starting pitcher to be credited with a win.
In these kind of games, pitchers always throw less or are on a pitch-count.
With that, the pitcher who is pitching when his team gets ahead (and stays) is credited with the win, whatever the total of innings pitched.
In regular season-games, a starter needs to throw at least five complete innings to be credited with the win.
In the fourth, Burgersdijk struckout the side, then saw his teammates score two more runs in the Amsterdam-fourth.
George Andrews became the fourth Greek pitcher, but he walked five consecutive batters.
Marijn van Berkel led off with a walk, then the bases got loaded when Linoy Croes and Michael Duursma also walked.
Hereafter, a walk for Gilmer Lampe led to a run, as did a following wild pitch.
When a walk for Kenny Berkenbosch re-loaded the bases, the inning was inning to continue with the fifth inning.
With two outs in the top of the fifth, Burgerdijk walked Georgios Thliveris, but he stranded on first base.
For Amsterdam in its fifth, Koen Nooij singled with one out, but also would be left on first base.
Lefthander Kyle Ward became the third pitcher for Amsterdam in the top of the sixth.
With two outs, he gave up a single to Christos Kapothanasis, but he also was left on first base.
In the bottom of the sixth, Amsterdam scored four runs when the Greeks defense committed two errors.
Michael Duursma contributed with a runscoring single and after a pitching change, Kenny Berkenbosch connected for an RBI-double.
Later, the inning ended with only two outs to go on to the seventh inning.
In the top of the seventh inning, Max Warren singled with one out for the Greeks.
However, with two outs, he was forced out and that would also be the final out of the game.
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Greece empty-handed in EC-exhibition in Amsterdam
AMSTERDAM (Neth.) -
Greece played an exhibition game on Thursday-evening (September 8) against Dutch big leaguer L&D Amsterdam Pirates and ended up losing 11-2 in 6½ inning.
For Greece, this was its final preparation for the upcoming European Championship, which opens on Friday in Hoofddorp and Nieuw-Vennep.
Exhibition Game as preparation for the European Championship.