Neptunus opened the score early with a run in the bottom of the first inning off of starter Jim Ploeger.
In the top half of the at bat, the Neptunian defense had turned a double play to end the inning.
Stijn van der Meer, who had started the double play as short stop, led off the home half and reached on a throwing error.
He moved on a grounder by Benjamin Dille, then scored on a single by Gianison Boekhoudt.
HCAW got a chance to do something back in the top of the second inning when it got two baserunners with one out.
Rachid Engelhardt and Seb Visser then both singled off of starter Diegomar Markwell, but the veteran lefthander closed with two strikeouts.
Neptunus doubled its lead in the bottom of the third inning.
Jochem Koedijk led off with a walk and moved to third base on an one-out single by Benjamin Dille.
Ploeger then got the bases loaded when he walked Gianison Boekhoudt.
Moments later, Koedijk scored on a sacrifice fly by Dwayne Kemp, but Neptunus also left two runners behind.
HCAW cut the deficit in half in the top of the fourth inning.
Vince Rooi led off with a single, moved on a grounder, then scored on a 2-out single by Kevin Weijgertse, who himself ended on third base on an error.
But he was then left behind.
After being retired in order in the fourth, Neptunus took some more distance in the next at bat.
Jochem Koedijk again led off with a walk.
He moved into scoring position via a sacrifice bunt by Stijn van der Meer and advanced to third base on a grounder by Benjamin Dille.
Hereafter, Gianison Boekhoudt drove the ball over the centerfield-fence for a 2-run homerun.
In the previous HCAW-at bat, Boekhoudt needed some attention from the team's trainer, as some dirt had gotten into his eye.
When the dirt was cleared, the powerhitter had an even better view of the pitches and connected for his first homerun in the Championship Pool.
In the regular season, Boekhoudt led with eight homeruns.
...Gianison Boekhoudt...
...2-run homerun, 3 RBI's...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
For Neptunus, the homerun was only its third basehit, while HCAW already had collected five at that moment and added two more in the top of the sixth, which also led to a run.
Vince Rooi led off with a single, then Rachid Engelhardt doubled.
Rooi then scored on a grounder by Seb Visser, but Engelhardt stranded on third base.
Neptunus scored two unearned runs in its sixth at bat on two costly errors.
With one out, Daniel Fernandes and Ruar Verkerk singled and moved to second and third base on a grounder.
Jochem Koedijk followed with a grounder, which could have been the third out in the inning.
Instead, a fielding error was made, followed by a throwing error, enabling both Fernandes and Verkerk to score and increase the lead to 6-2.
That also marked the end for Jim Ploeger, who was relieved by Steven van Groningen.
He hit Stijn van der Meer with a pitch, but a force play-grounder then ended the inning.
That also were to be the last runs scored in this game.
Neptunus got one more runner on third base in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Lead-off hitter Daniel Fernandes reached on an error, then another error followed on a force play-grounder by Ruar Verkerk, which led to runners at the corners.
But hereafter, Steven van Groningen retired the next three baters.
HCAW did reach base again in the eighth and ninth inning, but was unable to do some more scoring.
In the eighth, Vince Rooi walked with one out off of Jan Tomek, who had taken over the pitching from Diegomar Markwell.
But with two outs, Rooi was forced out.
In the ninth, Dylan Koster and Delano Selassa both singled with two outs off of closer Loek van Mil.
They also stranded, as a grounder ended the inning and the game.
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Neptunus outhit by HCAW, but opens Championship Pool with win
ROTTERDAM (Neth.) -
Defending champion Curaçao Neptunus opened the Championship Pool on Thursday-evening (August 17) with a 6-2 win against HCAW.