The third game between Amsterdam Pirates and Neptunus was a close one for seven innings.
When the eighth inning began, Neptunus led only 3-2, but then staged a big 9-run rally.
With that, it took a 12-2, 10-run difference lead and ended the game via the mercy-rule, resulting in the first victory for Neptunus under new Head Coach Ronald Jaarsma.
The past four seasons, Jaarsma was the 3B Coach of Charles Urbanus at Amsterdam Pirates.
The first seven innings also were a pitching-duel between lefthander Kyle Ward (Amsterdam) and 43-year old righthander Elton Koeiman, who currently is the oldest pitcher in the Dutch big league.
Both gave up seven basehits.
Koeiman struckout four batters and walked three in six innings, Ward struckout three and walked none in seven innings.
Neptunus got into scoring position in the top of the first inning, but stranded runners on second and third base.
With one out, Benjamin Dille and Christian Diaz singled, moved on a sacrifice bunt, but Ward closed with a strikeout.
In the bottom of the first inning, it was Pirates that left a runner behind in scoring position.
Remco Draijer led off with a single and moved on a grounder, but Koeiman also closed with a strikeout.
Amsterdam Pirates then opened the score in the bottom of the second inning.
With two outs, Danny Rombley and Jesse Aussems hit back-to-back doubles to put the home team ahead, 1-0.
Ward retired the side in the second and third inning, but then gave up the tying run in the fourth at bat when Gianison Boekhoudt homered with two outs.
Pirates got a chance to do some scoring in the fourth and fifth inning, but left four runners behind.
In the fourth, Elton Koeiman walked Kenny Berkenbosch and Linoy Croes, but two flyouts and a force out followed.
In the fifth, Pirates again got its first two baters on base when Remco Draijer and Zerzinho Croes both singled.
With one out, the bases got loaded when Kalian Sams walked.
However, the inning ended when Kenny Berkenbosch grounded into a double play.
...Elton Koeiman was the winning pitcher...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
The Amsterdam-defense had turned a double play in the top of the fifth inning, but Neptunus took a 3-1 lead in the sixth.
Shaldimar Daantji led off with a double, then Benjamin Dille was hit by a pitch.
After the two had excuted a double-steal, they scored on a single by Christian Diaz and a sacrifice fly by Dwayne Kemp.
Amsterdam was retired in order by Koeiman in the sixth, but then narrowed the deficit to 3-2 in the seventh off of reliever Misja Harcksen.
With one out, Remco Draijer doubled, moved on a single by Zerzinho Croes and scored on a sacrifice fly by Nick Urbanus.
But that would be the last run the home team scored today.
In the top of the eighth, Neptunus put the score out of reach when it rallied for nine runs on six hits off of three different pitchers.
Robin Schel started the inning in relief for Pirates, but the lefthander ran into problems quickly.
He walked lead-off hitter Daniel Fernandes, then got the bases loaded with one out when he also walked Benjamin Dille and Christian Diaz.
Hereafter, Gilmer Lampe took over the pitching, but was greeted with a 2-run single by Dwayne Kemp, followed by a runscoring single by Gianison Boekhoudt.
The bases got loaded again when Lampe walked Rien Vernooij.
A wild pitch led to the next run and a single by Ruar Verk re-loaded the bases, but Lampe then struckout American Greg Muller.
In his second at bat in the inning, Daniel Fernandes singled in a run and a hit batter for Shaldimar Daantji again gave Neptunus three baserunners.
It stayed busy on the basepaths, as Benjamin Dille followed with a 2-run single to increase the lead to 11-2.
Another pitching change followed, as Norbert Jongerius took over.
Jongerius, who had made some pitching appearances while playing for UVV, began with a wild pitch that led to the next run and made it 12-2.
In the bottom of the eighth, Misja Harcksen gave up a lead-off single to Kalian Sams and walked Kenny Berkenbosch.
An infield-fly and a double play the ended the inning and the game.
As Harcksen entered the game with a 3-2 lead, he was credited with his first save of the season.
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Neptunus avoids sweep thanks to big rally in eighth inning
AMSTERDAM (Neth.) -
After having lost the first two games, Curaçao Neptunus led only 3-2 after seven innings on Sunday (April 23) against L&D Amsterdam Pirates.
With two at bats remaining for Amsterdam, a loss and thus a sweep remained a possibility.
Neptunus avoided a sweep and decided the game with a 9-run rally in the top of the eighth inning to win 12-2 and end the game via the mercy-rule.
