(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Henk Seppen)
   Kalian Sams wins title with Capitales de Québec
Nederlands
  QUÉBEC CITY, Québec (Canada) / POMONA, New York (USA) -
Dutch outfielder Kalian Sams has won the Championship-title of the professional CanAm League (Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball) with his team Les Capitales de Québec.
On Thursday (September 14), the Capitales won 9-3 against Rockland Boulders to complete a 3-game sweep.
This is the seventh title for the Capitales, but its first since 2013.
With the title, Sams completed his third season with the Canadian team.
Sams, who is a member of the Netherlands Kingdom Baseball Team, plays in the Dutch big league for L&D Amsterdam Pirates, with whom he started the 2017 before leaving for Canada.
In the regular season of the CanAm League, which is an independent league, Sams batted .291 (83-for-285) in 72 games with 15 doubles, one triple and 23 homeruns.
The outfielder scored 63 runs and batted in 70.
On July 25, Sams was a member of the CanAm All Star Team, which won the annual All Star Game against the team from the American Association.
Sams played in leftfield and was 1-for-2 with a walk and scored a run.
The CanAm Team won 3-2 and it was the run scored by Sams that was the difference.
In the fourth inning, the team broke an 1-1 tie.
With two outs, Cody Regis singled and Sams walked.
Hereafter, Regis scored on a single by Yordan Maduley, then Sams scored on a following single by Danny Grauer to make it a 3-1 score.
The opponent was able to add one more run in the eighth.
...Kalian Sams...
...playing for L&D Amsterdam earlier this year...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
The best-of-five Can-Am League Championship Series opened on Tuesday (September 12) at Palisades Credit Union Park, the site of Rockland Boulders in Pomona, which is a village located partly in the town of Ramapo and partly in the town of Haverstraw in Rockland County, New York.
The Capitales then won 7-5, scoring its seven runs in the first two innings.
In the first at bat, Jordan Lennerton hit a 3-run homerun.
The first baseman batted in five runs.
Cuban short stop Yordan Manduley hit three basehits for the Canadian squad.
Kalian Sams was 1-for-4.
Both teams had ten basehits, but four players homered for Rockland in the opener.
Québec won the second game on Wednesday, which also was played in Pomona, with a 7-2 score.
The team was led by Kalian Sams, who was 4-for-4 with two homeruns, batted in five runs and stole two bases.
Québec opened the score in the top of the fourth inning.
Cuban Yurisbel Gracial led off with a single, then scored when Sams homered with one out.
Moments later, James McOwen added a 2-run triple.
In the fifth inning, Sams batted in another run with a single, enabling Canadian Philippe Craig-St-Louis to score.
Sams then added a 2-run homerun in the eighth at bat.
Winning pitcher Brett Lee struckout 12 batters in 8 2/3 inning.
After the game, the teams traveled to Québec City in Canada where Game 3 was played on Thursday.
The Capitales recorded 12 basehits, including three by James McOwen, who homered.
Venezuelan Balbino Fuenmayor hit two homeruns for Québec.
In this game, Sams was 0-for-1, but walked twice.
In the third game, at Stade Canac, Québec scored twice in the bottom of the first inning.
Leading 1-0, the second run was batted in on sacrifice fly by Sams.
Three runs were added in the second inning, including two on a basesloaded double by Yurisbel Gracial.
Rockland narrowed the deficit to 5-3 by scoring in the fourth and fifth inning, but Québec then took more distance by scoring twice in both the fifth and seventh inning.
Québec had reached the Championship Series with a 3-0 sweep in the Play-Offs against Sussex County Miners.
In the opener of this series, Québec won 4-2 in ten innings.
The next game was won with a 10-6 score
In the third game, Sams was 2-for-3 (two doubles) and scored twice in a 6-1 victory.
Rockland had become the second finalist by winning its Play-Off series against New Jersey Jackals, 3-1.
(September 14)
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