(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Henk Seppen)
  Netherlands wins exhibition game in Japan
Nederlands
  BUNKYO, TOKYO (Japan) -
The Netherlands Kingdom Team won an exhibition game on Wednesday (November 9) against the semi-professional team from the Kanto Region (which includes Tokyo) with a 7-5 score.
The game was to prepare for the upcoming Samurai Japan Warm-Up Games.
Coming weekend, the Orange squad plays two games against Samurai Japan, the National Professional Team of Japan.
The Japanese squad plays against México on Thursday and Friday.
All games are played in the Tokyo Dome in Japanese capital Tokyo.
Netherlands Team Manager Hensley Meulens used 25 players in the game, including ten pitchers.
The lone players who didn't play today were pitchers Wendell Floranus, Diegomar Markwell and Juan Carlos Sulbaran.
Today's game also was played in the Tokyo Dome.
Initially, the Dutch squad faced a 3-0 deficit after three innings, then trailed 5-2 after six at bats.
The Orange team then turned the game its way with a 5-run rally in the top of the seventh inning.
Both teams collected ten basehits.
Kalian Sams and Gilmer Lampe both had two basehits, including an RBI-double.
The Japanese opponent, which included some players of the National Amateur Team, first reached base in the first inning off of starter Jair Jurrjens.
With two outs, the righthander walked a batter, but he was left behind.
In the second inning, the Kanto-squad opened the score off of Lars Huijer, scoring one run on two hits.
The Japanese team then added two runs in the next at bat off of Tom de Blok to make it a 3-0 score.
The Orange squad was held scoreless and hitless in its first three innings by starter Nagano.
The deficit was then narrowed to 3-2 in the fourth inning off of new pitcher Tsukasa Kohmatsu.
With one out, Yurendell de Caster singled and Gianison Boekhoudt walked, then Kalian Sams followed with a runscoring double and Shawn Zarraga with a sacrifice fly.
Mike Bolsenbroek and Loek van Mil gave up no runs in respectively the fourth and fifth inning.
But in the bottom of the sixth, Japan added two runs off of Jim Ploeger.
In this inning, Kevin Kelly took over and he went on to become the winning pitcher, as the Netherlands scored five runs on six hits in the top of the seventh inning to turn the game its way.
...Dashenko Ricardo...
...Homerun...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
In the seventh, Dashenko Ricardo led off with a homerun in his first at bat in the game.
Four more batters would register a basehit in their first at bat.
After Ricardo's homerun, Nick Urbanus and Dwayne Kemp singled, then Gilmer Lampe delivered a runscoring double to make it a 5-4 score.
Moments later, the tying run was scored on a grounder by Christopher Garia.
Hereafter, Stijn van der Meer became the fifth batter in this inning to hit a basehit in his first at bat of the game.
His single put the Orange ahead, 6-5.
With runners on second and third base and two outs, Kalian Sams singled in an insurance run to make it 7-5.
The bases got loaded hereafter, but three runners were left behind when a flyout ended the at bat.
In the bottom of the seventh, Kelly retired the first batter he faced, then Bayron Cornelisse took over and retired the next two batters.
Orlando Yntema then retired the side in the eighth.
In the ninth, Berry van Driel became the tenth Dutch pitcher.
He saw two batters reach base, but gave up no runs and earned a save.
Juremi Profar made his debut in the Dutch Team.
He was the starting third baseman and was 0-for-2.
His brother Jurickson Profar, who plays in the Major League-squad of Texas Rangers, was the starting short stop.
The following players played in this game, which started at 10:03 AM and lasted 2:52 hrs:
Christopher Garia (CF, 1-for-5), Jurickson Profar (SS, 0-for-3), Stijn van der Meer (SS, 1-for-1), Yurendell de Caster (1B, 1-for-3), Dudley Leonora (1B, 0-for-1), Gianison Boekhoudt (DH, 0-for-2), Kalian Sams (RF, 2-for-4), Shawn Zarraga (C, 0-for-1), Dashenko Ricardo (C, 1-for-2), Sharlon Schoop (2B, 0-for-2), Nick Urbanus (2B, 1-for-2), Juremi Profar (3B, 0-for-2), Dwayne Kemp (2B, 1-for-2), Randolph Oduber (LF, 0-for-2), Gilmer Lampe (LF, 2-for-2).
The pitchers were Jair Jurrjens, Lars Huijer, Tom de Blok, Mike Bolsenbroek, Loek van Mil, Jim Ploeger, Kevin Kelly, Bayron Cornelisse, Orlando Yntema and Berry van Driel.
(November 9)
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Exhibition Game for Samurai Japan Warm-Up Games 2016.