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(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Freek Bouw/Phrake Photography)
     Exhibition losses Netherlands Baseball Team in Arizona
Nederlands
  SCOTTSDALE / TUCSON, Arizona (USA) -
The Netherlands Baseball Team, or Netherlands Kingdom Team, as it is called during international events, has its first week in Arizona in the books.
The national squad left on Saturday, February 11 for Arizona for a trainingcamp at the Spring Training-site of the San Francisco Giants in Scottsdale.
During their stay in Arizona, the Orange squad will play five exhibition games.
The first two games were played last Thursday (February 16) and Friday (February 17) against KT Wiz and NC Dinos, two teams from the Korean Baseball Organization, which is the professional Major League in South Korea.
Despite having the lead in both games, the Netherlands Team lost both confrontations.
In the first game, the Orange Team briefly led 2-1, but lost 5-2 vs. KT Wiz.
In the second game, the Dutch led 9-6 in the ninth inning against NC Dinos, but lost 10-9.
Both games were played in Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium on Kino Sports Complex in nearby Tucson.
The stadium and the complex had been used for Spring Training by the Arizona Diamondbacks (1998-2010) and Chicago White Sox (1998-2008).
It also had been the home of the Tucson Sidewinders (Triple-A, Arizona Diamondbacks, 1998-2008) and Tucson Padres (Triple-A, San Diego Padres, 2011-2013).
Since last year, the stadium is currently the home of the Tucson Saguaros, who play in the Independent Pecos League.
On Monday (February 20), the third game was scheduled against the team of GateWay Community College from Phoenix, but that game was cancelled due to rain in the previous two days.
The game might be re-sechuled for coming Thursday.
On Friday and Saturday, the Netherlands then will face LG Twins, another Korean professional squad.
The Korean teams are in Arizona to prepare for their new KBO-season.
In Arizona, the Netherlands Team prepares for the upcoming World Baseball Classic, which opens on March 6 in South Korean capital Seoul.
There, the Orange Team plays its first game in the First Round the next day against the Koreans, followed by games against Chinese Taipei and Israel.
(February 20)
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Netherlands vs. KT Wiz
In the first game on Thursday, the Netherlands briefly led against KT Wiz, which comes from Suwon and was founded in 2013.
In the last two seasons in the Korean Baseball Organization, KT Wiz finished in tenth place.
Last year, the team was 53-89 with two ties, a year earlier, it was 52-91 with one tie.
Jair Jurrjens was the starting pitcher for the Orange squad.
The righthander threw two innings and gave up the first Korean run in the second inning.
With the bases loaded, a sacrifice fly accounted for the run, but Jurrjens avoided giving up more runs.
In the second inning, the Netherlands scored twice to take a 2-1 lead.
Christopher Garia doubled (which was the first Dutch basehit), then next batter Randolph Oduber homered.
But that was to be it for the Netherlands, which collected only four basehits.
After Diegomar Markwell had pitched two scoreless innings, Orlando Yntema took over in the fifth.
In this at bat, the Korean opponent scored three runs, with two of them being unearned due to two errors.
A basehit and an error gave the Koreans two baserunners, then a double brought in the tying run.
With two outs, a grounder was handled well by short stop Stijn van der Meer, but his throw to first base was off target.
First baseman Curt Smith had to come off the base, caught the ball, then tagged the runner, but while doing so, the ball dropped.
And that led to two more runs and a 4-2 lead for the Koreans.
KT Wiz added its fifth run in the seventh inning, thanks to a homerun off of Kevin Heijstek, who made his comeback on the pitching mound.
Early June last year, Heijstek was the starting pitcher for L&D Amsterdam Pirates in the Final of the European Champions Cup against Pirati dei Rimini in Italy.
Amsterdam won the game and the Cup, but lost Heijstek.
He sustained a severe injury and had to leave the game.
Due to a torn hamstring, he was out for the season.
Jair Jurrjens (2 innings), Diegomar Markwell (2 innings), Orlando Yntema (1 inning), Mike Bolsenbroek (1 inning), Kevin Heijstek (1 inning), Jim Ploeger (2/3 inning), Kevin Kelly (2/3 inning) and Tom de Blok (2/3 inning) pitched for the Netherlands.
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...The Netherlands Kingdom Team played the two exhibition games in Kino Veteran Memorial Stadium in Tucson... |
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| ...Jair Jurrjens, Diegomar Markwell, Orlando Yntema and Mike Bolsenbroek were the first four Orange-pitchers... |
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| ...Kevin Heijstek, Jim Ploeger, Kevin Kelly and Tom de Blok also pitched for the Orange squad in this game... |
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...Left: Bench Coach Andruw Jones began the game as Manager, filling in for Hensley Meulens,...
...who had commitments as Hitting Coach in the Spring Training-camp of the San Francisco Giants...
...Right: Nick Urbanus started the game as second baseman... |
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...Randolph Oduber connects well in the third inning and hits a 2-run homerun that puts the Orange squad ahead... |
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| ...Randolph Oduber and Christopher Garia (who also scored) are welcomed in the Orange dug-out... |
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...Catcher Dashenko Ricardo tags out a Korean runner at the plate... |
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...Left: Dashenko Ricardo in the batter's box for the Netherlands Kingdom Team...
...Center: Bench Coach Andruw Jones and Manager Hensley Meulens look on from the dug-out...
...Rechts: 1B Curt Smith tries to catch a high throw... |
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| ...Dwayne Kemp and Stijn van der Meer in the batter's box for the Netherlands... |
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| ...Left: Gianfranco Wawoe took over as second baseman...
...Right: Pitcher Kevin Kelly and Catcher Chadwick Tromp have a talk...
(© All Photos: Freek Bouw / Phrake Photography) |
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Netherlands vs. NC Dinos
In the second exhibition game, played on Friday, the Netherlands trailed 4-1 after two innings, but then rallied for four runs in the third to take a 5-4 lead.
The Korean opponent then came alongside and re-took the lead in the sixth (6-5).
In the late innings, the Orange team scored four more runs and led 9-6 when the bottom of the ninth inning began.
NC Dinos then rallied for four runs to win 10-9.
NC Dinos comes from Changwon in the southeast of South Korea.
The team was founded in 2011.
Last season, the team finished in second place in the regular season with an 83-58 record and three ties.
It reached the postseason for the third consecutive year and also went on to reach the Korean Series.
In the best-of-seven final, the Dinos were swept in four games by Doosan Bears, which won its fifth Championship-title and second in a row.
In the first inning, veteran Dutch starter Rob Cordemans had a tough inning.
The righthander gave up a double, triple and a homerun, resulting in three runs.
The Netherlands got one run back in the second inning via back-to-back doubles by Kalian Sams and Dwayne Kemp, but the Dinos added another run in its second at bat.
Trailing 4-1, the Orange scored four runs in the third.
Randolph Oduber and Curt Smith both walked, then Kalian Sams homered to come alongside.
Moments later, Dwayne Kemp also scored on a double by Gianfranco Wawoe to give the Dutch a 5-4 lead.
In the sixth inning, Mark Pawelek took over the Dutch pitching, but ran into problems.
He walked three batters, then a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly led to two runs and a 6-5 Korean lead.
The Dutch offense then was productive again hereafter.
Nick Urbanus and Curth Smith both homered and Dwayne Kemp added an RBI-double.
This all led to four runs and a 9-6 lead.
In the bottom of the ninth, Berry van Driel took the mound to close the game for the Orange squad.
After the Koreans scored a first run, the righthander gave up a 2-run homerun that tied the score at 9-9.
Hereafter, a walk led to another baserunner.
He scored when an error followed on a walk-off single that gave the Dinos a 10-9 victory.
In the eighth inning, Ryan Oduber pitched and made his debut in the Netherlands Team.
Last year, the 19-year old lefthander pitched in his second professional season in the organization of the Boston Red Sox.
In both 2015 and 2016, Oduber pitched at the Rookie League-level in teams based in the Dominican Republic and Florida.
The nephew of Randolph Oduber is the lone debuting player in the squad that currently is in Arizona.
Rob Cordemans (1 inning), Tom Stuifbergen (1 inning), Shairon Martis (2 innings), Juan Carlos Sulbaran (1 inning), Mark Pawelek (1 inning), Lars Huijer (1 inning), Ryan Oduber (1 inning) and Berry van Driel (1/3 inning) pitched in this game for the Kingdom-squad.
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| ...Rob Cordemans, Tom Stuifbergen, Shairon Martis and Juan Carlos Sulbaran were the first four Orange-pitchers... |
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| ...Mark Pawelek, Lars Huijer, Ryan Oduber and Berry van Driel pitched from the sixth inning on... |
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...Yurendell de Caster makes contact for the Netherlands squad... |
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| ...Short stop Stijn van der Meer, 1B Yurendell de Caster and 2B Gianfranco Wawoe in action... |
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...Left: Christopher Garia in the batter's box for the Netherlands Team...
...Right: Kalian Sams hits a foul off his foot... |
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...Left: Kalian Sams enjoys running around the bases after hitting a 3-run homerun in the 3rd inning...
...Right: Shortly thereafter, Dwayne Kemp also went on to score for the Orange squad... |
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...Left: Phildrick Llewellyn played in his first game for the Netherlands Team since 2013...
...Right: Gianfranco Wawoe, now at short stop, retires a batter... |
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| ...Curt Smith and Nick Urbanus both homered for the Orange squad... |
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...Lefthanders Mark Pawelek and Ryan Oduber both have a special way of delivering a pitch...
...Pawelek pitched in his first Orange-game since 2013; Oduber made his debut in the national squad...
(© All Photos: Freek Bouw / Phrake Photography) |
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Copyright © 1997-2017 Marco Stoovelaar / Grand Slam * Stats & News.
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