HCAW took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but was unable to take more distance.
Instead, Quick Amersfoort scored a run in the first and third inning to come alongside.
HCAW re-took the lead in the fifth and added a run in the sixth to make it a 4-2 score.
But the home team again managed to come alongside, scoring twice in the seventh.
In the eighth of the attractive game, HCAW took the lead for the third time and this time, it hold onto it.
Both teams collected nine basehits.
Tijmen Takke (who last season played for UVV) went 4-for-4 for Quick Amersfoort, while Julian Goins (also ex-UVV) was 3-for-4 for HCAW.
Also tonight, Ruar Verkerk was 4-for-5 in the opening game of De Glaskoning Twins against Silicon Storks.
Last season, there also were two players who opened the season by hitting four basehits in the opening game.
Jelle Blaauw then was 4-for-4 in the opener of Pickles UVV.
He then was a teammate of Takke and he again will be this season, as Blaauw also transfered to Quick Amersfoort.
Tonight, Blaauw was 2-for-3, but batted in three runs.
Kevin Weijgertse (HCAW) was 4-for-5 a year ago.
Tonight, Weijgertse was 0-for-3 for HCAW.
In the top of the first inning, Jeandro Tromp led off for HCAW with a single, which also was the very first basehit this season in the highest league.
When ball-four for next hitter Delano Selassa ended in a wild pitch, the speedy Tromp not only moved to second base, but also was able to advance to third base.
Moments later, Tromp also scored the first run of the new big league-season when Roelie Henrique reached on an error.
Selassa moved to third base when veteran Vince Rooi flied out.
He then scored the second run while Henrique was caught stealing after a pick-off by Quick-starter Brian van Laar.
The lefthander closed the inning with a strikeout.
Quick Amersfoort got one run back in the bottom of the first inning off of starter Dennis Burgersdijk.
The righthander, who transfered from Amsterdam Pirates, walked lead-off hitter Rick Kuipers, who then stole second base.
Burgersdijk hit next hitter Rachid Engelhardt (last year HCAW), but struckout powerhitter Bryan Engelhardt, who last played in the highest division in 2016 when he was with Kinheim.
Burgersdijk also struckout Remian Denis, but then gave up a runscoring basehit to Tijmen Takke, which was followed by a throwing error.
Kuipers scored on the basehit by Takke, but while doing so, he sustained an apparent hamstring-injury.
Kuipers stayed in the game and got another at bat in the next inning, but then was replaced in the third.
After Kuipers had scored, Jelle Blaauw walked to load the bases, but a grounder ended the at bat.
Quick Amersfoort again got into scoring position in the second.
Kevin Windster Adelina led off with an infield-hit in his first big league at bat, then moved on a grounder.
With two outs, he advanced to third base on a single by Rachid Engelhardt, but the two runners were left behind.
In the third, Quick Amersfoort came alongside.
With one out, Tijmen Takke doubled and scored on a following triple by Jelle Blaauw, who stranded on third base.
HCAW re-took the lead in the top of the fifth, but left three runners behind.
With two outs, Julian Goins singled and Jeandro Tromp walked, which led to a pitching change.
Taking over the pitching for Quick was Jasper Popken, who last season made his big league-debut pitching for HCAW.
Popken was greeted with a runscoring single by Delano Selassa that made it a 3-2 score.
Hereafter, Tromp and Selassa were awarded the next base when a balk was called and the bases got loaded when Roelie Henrique walked.
But the inning ended with a force out and so, three runners were left behind.
...Former teammates Jelle Blaauw (left) and Julian Goins...
(© Photo: Jan Kruijdenberg) |
HCAW added another run in the sixth.
Bryce Cherry led off with a single, then was safe at second base when a throwing error was made on a force play-grounder by Seb Visser.
The two runners moved on a sacrifice bunt by Patrick Bok.
With two outs, Julian Goins delivered a runscoring single, but the inning ended when Visser was eliminated at the plate when he also tried to score.
HCAW stranded runners on second and third base in the top of the seventh, then Quick Amersfoort came alongside again in its seventh at bat.
After HCAW-starter Dennis Burgersdijk had given up his second run in the third inning, he allowed only two more hitters to reach base in the next three innings.
That was done in the fourth and fifth inning, but both stranded on first base.
Burgersdijk retired the side in the sixth.
He had a fine outing, struckout six hitters and left the mound with HCAW leading 4-2.
But that lead was erased by Quick Amersfoort in the bottom of the seventh off of Burgersdijk's successor Moreno Vork.
In the seventh, Vork got two quick outs, but then gave up two runs, which tied the score again.
He began with a strikeout, then gave up a single to Bryan Engelhardt, who was forced out on a grounder by Remian Denis.
Shortly hereafter, Denis stole second base, but while doing so, he twisted his left-ankle during his sliding and was replaced by pinch-runner Alberto Ostos.
A single by Tijmen Takke, his fourth basehit in the game, led to runners on second and third base.
On the single, Ostos initially overran third base.
The ball was thrown to third baseman Vince Rooi and a close play followed, but Ostos barely missed being tagged out.
Moments later, Ostos and Takke both scored when Jelle Blaauw followed with a single to make it a 4-4 score.
Timo van Ancum was then brought in as new pitcher and he ended the inning with a successful pick-off at first base.
HCAW immediately responded by scoring three runs in the top of the eighth inning off of new pitcher Colin van Laar.
He is the twin-brother of starter Brian van Laar.
It not only is very rare that a team has twin-brothers in its pitching-staff, but also for them to pitch in the same game.
Van Laar walked pinch-hitter Berend Ruben, then gave up a bunt-single to Patrick Bok.
With one out, Julian Goins connected for a 2-run double that made it a 6-4 score in favor of HCAW.
Goins advanced to third base on a wild pitch, then scored on a sacrifice fly by Jeandro Tromp.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Van Ancum retired the side to become the winning pitcher, as the 10:30 PM curfew-time had been reached.
Tonight's game also was a reunion of former teammates, as Timo van Ancum, Bryce Cherry, Julian Goins, Roland Laurens, Berend Ruben (all HCAW), Jelle Blaauw, Rick Kuipers, Tijmen Takke and Jurjen van Zijl (all Quick Amersfoort) all played for UVV last year.
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HCAW decides big league-comeback Quick Amersfoort in 8th inning
AMERSFOORT (Neth.) -
Finally, the regular season in the Dutch big league went underway on Thursday-evening (April 26).
The second highest league ('Overgangsklasse') already opened on April 6.
Hereafter, the two highest divisions in women's softball went underway.
The Golden League on April 14 and the Silver League on April 21.
The last competition to start was that of the highest Dutch baseball-league.
The last time that a regular season in the highest division started this late was in 1990, when the first games were played on Saturday, April 28.
Opening Night Regular Season.