(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
 Neptunus wins exhibition game against Storks
Nederlands
 ROTTERDAM (Neth.) -
Curaçao Neptunus and Silicon Storks played an exhibition game on Thursday-evening (August 8) now that the season has been interrupted for the U23 European Championship in Prague (Czech Republic).
Neptunus won the game, 4-0.
Last weekend, Neptunus swept Hoofddorp Pioniers 3-0 in its best-of-five Play-Off to reach the Holland Series.
Storks won one of three games played against Quick Amersfoort in their best-of-five Play-Down.
Coming weekend, no games are scheduled due to the above mentioned Championship.
In the following weekend (August 17-18), the remaining games were scheduled in the Play-Offs and Play-Downs.
Only the Storks vs. Quick Amersfoort then continues, as the other three ended in a sweep.
L&D Amsterdam Pirates won three games against HCAW to also reach the Holland Series, while Twins Oosterhout swept DSS in the Play-Downs.
The best-of-seven Holland Series between L&D Amsterdam Pirates and Curaçao Neptunus opens on Thursday-evening August 22.
The seven games are scheduled to be played in an 11-day period.
When the Final needs all seven games, the last one will be played on Sunday, September 1.
Thereafter, there is not much room to play make-up games, when needed, as the Netherlands Team will leave for Germany for the European Championship, which opens on September 7.
This is followed by the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Italy, September 18-22.
There have been talks to move up the start of the Holland Series to August 17, but as of now, the schedule remains as announced.
Also starting on August 22 is the best-of-five Play-Down Final between DSS and the losing team of the Storks vs. Quick series.
The loser of this best-of-five then has to play a best-of-five Promotion/Relegation Series against the champion of the second highest league.
When the Play-Off Final ends in a sweep, the losing team has to wait five (!) weeks before this deciding series opens on Saturday, September 28.
This has to do with the remaining schedule in the 'Overgangsklasse', which ends on September 22.
While it is only the beginning of August, the season already has ended for HCAW, Hoofddorp Pioniers and Twins Oosterhout.
For the first two because they were eliminated in the Play-Offs, for the third one because it won its Play-Down.
To continue its game-rhythm, Neptunus and Storks decided to play an exhibition game.
On a partly cloudy Thursday-evening, Neptunus used five pitchers, while Storks used four.
Neptunus collected eight basehits.
The five Neptunian pitchers gave up seven hits, but also struckout 15 batters.
Neptunus scored twice in the fifth and the seventh inning.
The team initially used eleven batters in its batting order, added a twelfth batter and made several defensive changes, including the use of three catchers.
Storks also made multiple changes.
Coming Tuesday-evening, Neptunus will play an exhibition game against the Netherlands Under-18 Team.
Amsterdam Pirates will play an exhibition game on Saturday against its second team.
(August 8)
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