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(Story by Marco Stoovelaar) Amsterdam Pirates wins to become regular season-winner Nederlands AMSTERDAM (Neth.) - League-leader L&D Amsterdam Pirates won 7-5 against Hoofddorp Pioniers on Sunday (July 30) to become the winner of the regular season. With that, Curaçao Neptunus wil finish in second place. Neptunus still can end up in a tie with Amsterdam. In order to do so, Neptunus has to win its remaining four games, while Amsterdam has to lose its remaining three games. However, the head-to-head results of the six games played between the two teams is in favor of Amsterdam, which has won four. By finishing in first place, Amsterdam Pirates won the KNBSB Cup and qualified for participation in next years European Champions Cup. The second participant in that event will be the team that wins the Dutch Championship-title. When Amsterdam also should win the championship, the losing team of the Holland Series becomes the second participant. Amsterdam Pirates lost 3-2 on Saturday after the first game of the series ended in a 3-3 tie in Thursday-evening. By finishing in first place, Amsterdam Pirates opens the Championship Pool on Thursday, August 17 against Hoofddorp Pioniers, which will finish in fourth place because of today's loss. Pioniers can end up in a tie for third place with HCAW, which will finish third. To do so, it has to won its last three games in the coming series. HCAW closed its regular season after today and is off coming weekend. However, the head-to-head results are in favor of HCAW, which won three of the six games played, while one game ended in a tie. That tie now has become decisive and is the result of the curfew-rule. On Thursday-evening, June 1, the game in Bussum had an one hour, 12 minutes sun-delay after four complete innings with the score at 0-0. HCAW then took an 1-0 lead in the fifth, but Pioniers came alongside in the seventh. With the score at 1-1, the game was then halted after eight complete innings, due to the 10:30 PM curfew-rule! In the Championship Pool, all teams will begin with no points. In some previous seasons, the teams began the next round with bonus-points based on its ranking. Also, the teams that finished higher had a home advantage, which also is not the case this time. Since 2011, the top-4 met each other in 3-game series in the Play-Offs, while the bottom-4 did the same in the Play-Downs, resulting in a total of nine games. This time, the top-4 will play two 3-game series against each other in the Championship Pool, playing nine games at home and nine on the road. The lone decision remaining in the regular season is sixth and seventh place. Pickles UVV, which is in sixth place, closing its season in the upcoming series against Amsterdam. De Glaskoning Twins, which is in seventh place, closes against Pioniers. UVV is two points (one game) ahead of Twins. In the second highest league, the 'Overgangsklasse', the top-3 appeared to be clear with Storks, Quick Amersfoort and Onze Gezellen finishing in the first three positions. With that, they qualified for participation in the Promotion/Relegation Pool against the numbers five, six and seven of the big league. Four of the six teams will play at the highest level next season. However, a few days ago, a game of RCH-Pinguïns against Neptunus Tridents was re-scheduled, due to an ineligible player used by Tridents in a game that was won against the Heemstede-squad. In the published final standings, RCH-Pinguïns finished in fourth place, two points (one game) behind Quick Amersfoort and Onze Gezellen, who shared second place. The game is re-scheduled for Tuesday, August 15 and will be played in Heemstede. When RCH-Pinguïns wins, it will create a 3-way tie with Quick Amersfoort and Onze Gezellen. The head-to-head results then will be in favor of Quick Amersfoort and RCH-Pinguïns, unless there is another ruling when three teams are tied. (July 30) Complete schedule

Amsterdam opened the score with two runs in the bottom of the first inning off of starter Nick Keur after Pioniers had left runners behind on first and second base in the top half. In the first Amsterdam at bat, Remco Draijer led off with a single, then Zerzinho Croes reached on a bunt-single. The two moved on a sacrifice bunt by Nick Urbanus, then the bases got loaded when Gilmer Lampe walked. Hereafter, the first run was scored on a sacrifice fly by Danny Rombley, then Kenny Berkenbosch added a runscoring single to make it a 2-0 score. The bases were re-loaded when Patrick Bok also walked, but three runners were left behind when a grounder ended the at bat. Pioniers answered with three runs in the top of the second inning. With one out, Amsterdam-starter Robin Schel got the bases loaded when he walked Gianni Frolijk and Sander Paap, then gave up a single to Joey Eeman. A run was then scored on a grounder by Mark Smit and Max Draijer followed with a 2-run double that made it 3-2 in favor of Pioniers. In the bottom of the second, Amsterdam left three runners behind in the second consecutive at bat. With two outs, Zerzinho Croes singled, Nick Urbanus was hit by a pitch and Gilmer Lampe walked, but a flyout closed the at bat. Both teams were retired in order in the third. Amsterdam then turned a double play in the top of the fourth and left a runner behind in the bottom of the at bat. After Robin Schel retired the side again in the top of the fifth, Amsterdam turned the game its way in the bottom of the fifth, scoring two runs. Gilmer Lampe led off with a double, moved on a sacrifice bunt by Danny Rombley and scored the tying run on a double by Kenny Berkenbosch. When next batter Patrick Bok also singled, a pitching change followed. Glenn Wassink took over from Nick Keur with runners at the corners. A attempt for a sacrifice bunt/squeeze by Rashid Gerard ended in Berkenbosch being eliminated at the plate, but hereafter, the bases got loaded when Wasssink hit Jesse Aussems with a pitch. Amsterdam then took a 3-2 lead on a single by Remco Draijer, but the team also left the bases loaded behind for the third time. In the top of the sixth, Pioniers had runners on first and second base with two outs, but Schel closed the inning with a strikeout. Moments later, Amsterdam added another run when Nick Urbanus led off the bottom of the sixth with a homerun to make it a 5-3 score. Schel retired the side for the third time in the top of the seventh, then the Amsterdam-offense scored another run in its seventh at bat. New pitcher Angelo Wicklert walked lead-off hitter Rashid Gerard. He advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Jesse Aussems and a single by Remco Draijer, then scored on a single by Zerzinho Croes to increase the lead to 6-3. That brought in rookie Luuk ter Beek, who got two grounders to end the inning. Pioniers narrowed the deficit to 6-5 in the eighth by scoring two runs off of reliever Daan Hendrix. The righthander first gave up singles to Dudley Leonora and Jeffrey Arends. Shurman Marlin followed with a possible double play-grounder towards third base, but that ended in a throwing error, resulting in a run and runners on first and third base. Hereafter, it was Glenn Bakker who also hit a double play-grounder towards third and this time, it was executed perfectly, but also brought in a run and made it a 6-5 score. In the bottom of the eighth, Amsterdam reacted by scoring an insurance run off of Ter Beek. With one out, Gilmer Lampe doubled, which was the first basehit the righthander gave up since making his debut on July 20. Since then, he made two more relief appearances. In three games before today, he retired eight of the nine batters he faced, walking one of them. Lampe then scored when Patrick Bok followed with a single to make it a 7-5 score. In the top of the ninth, Daan Hendrix retired the side to close the game. And with that, Amsterdam Pirates claimed first place!

L&D Amsterdam Pirates - Hoofddorp Pioniers 7-5 R H E Hoofddorp Pioniers 030 000 020 - 5 9 0 L&D Amsterdam Pirates 200 021 11X - 7 15 2 pitchers Pioniers inn. SO BB H R ER Nick Keur, L (3-3) 4.1 2 3 8 4 4 Glenn Wassink 1.2 - - 3 1 1 Angelo Wicklert 0.1 - 1 2 1 1 Luuk ter Beek 1.2 - - 2 1 1 pitchers Pirates inn. SO BB H R ER Robin Schel, W (6-1) 7 3 3 6 3 3 Daan Hendrix, SV (4) 2 - - 3 2 - Homerun: Pirates: Nick Urbanus (3)(6th,solo,off Wassink). Box Score Play-by-Play Standings Scores Schedule Team Rosters Umpires: HP-Efrem Silvania, 1B-Jos van Eijsden, 3B-Martijn Bosschaart. Official Scorer-Stefan Slinger. Play-by-Play Scorer-Dieks Bannink. Technical Commissioner-Willem Broertjes. Public Address Announcer-Richard de Wolff. Scoreboard Operator-Jolande Bierman. Starting Time-2:00 PM. Time Played-2:39 hrs. Site-Pirates Honkbalstadion, Sportpark 'Ookmeer', Amsterdam. Game Notes: Amsterdam Pirates finishes in first place in the regular season, wins the KNBSB Cup and qualifies for participation in the European Champions Cup-tournament 2018. Weather conditions at game time: Partly cloudy, 20,1° C (68,2° F); wind direction west-southwest; wind speed 31 kmh (19,4 mph); wind force 6 Bft; humidity 76%.

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