The first four innings of the game remained scoreless, as both starting pitchers did very well.
The Orange-offense was limited to only one basehit by Yi-Sheng Chu.
He retired the first ten batters in a row, striking out seven of them, including lead-off hitter Dwayne Kemp twice.
Diegomar Markwell started for the Netherlands and gave up two basehits in these four at bats.
With one out in the bottom of the first inning, the lefthander gave up a single to Hao-Chen Chen, but the Dutch defense then closed with a double play.
In the second inning, Chinese Taipei got a runner in scoring position.
With one out, Chun-Kai Liao singled and moved to second base on a grounder by Hsin-Chuan Wang.
Hereafter, Markwell walked Chia-Wei Huang, but the two runners were left behind.
Markwell retired the side in the third and fourth inning.
The Netherlands opened the score with three runs in the top of the fifth inning.
Denzel Richardson led off with a single, which was to be the start of a productive rally.
Next batter Rodney Daal walked and then the bases got loaded when an attempt for a sacrifice bunt by Dudley Leonora ended in a bunt-single.
Taipei-starter Yi-Sheng Chu then struckout Orange-rookie Delano Selassa, who made his first start.
While being an infielder (short stop/second base), Selassa played in leftfield.
In the previous three games, Dudley Leonora was the leftfielder for the Netherlands.
Leonora also is a short stop (or first baseman).
Tonight, Leonora played at first base, a position that was occupied by Bryan Engelhardt in the first game.
On Saturday, veteran Yurendell De Caster started at first base in the game against the mixed team from North America.
In that game, De Caster left the game after a collission with the batter-runner, who reached on an infield-hit on the first pitch of the game.
De Caster dislocated his shoulder and will not return to action during this tournament.
Back to the fifth inning when the Netherlands has the bases loaded with one out.
The first run was then scored when Stijn van der Meer singled.
After being struckout in his first two at bats, next batter Dwayne Kemp now delivered a runscoring single.
With the bases still loaded, a pitching change followed, as Wei-Fan Tsai took over.
He saw the Netherlands score another on a sacrifice fly by Sharlon Schoop, which also enabled Van der Meer to advance to third base.
Moments later, Kemp stole second base, but Tsai then closed by striking out Gilmer Lampe.
...Diegomar Markwell was the winning pitcher...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
After Taipei had stranded another runner in scoring position in the fifth inning, the Netherlands added its fourth run in the top of the sixth.
That was done off of new pitcher Shuo-Cheng Wei.
He walked lead-off hitter Gianison Boekhoudt, then got the bases loaded with one out when he gave up a single to Rodney Daal and also walked Dudley Leonora.
Another pitching change followed, as Tsung-Hao Wang became the fourth Taipei-pitcher.
He got a grounder from Delano Selassa that brought in Boekhoudt and lifted the lead to 4-0.
The inning ended when Stijn van der Meer fouled out.
Chinese Taipei left a runner behind on third base in the fifth inning, but then scored in the sixth.
Diegomar Markwell walked pinch-hitter Ching-Han Ko, then gave up a bunt-single to Hao-Chen Chen.
After the two moved on a sacrifice bunt by Wei-Chih Chen, the Netherlands also went to the bullpen for the first time.
Juan Carlos Sulbaran took over, began with a strikeout, but then uncorked a wild pitch that enabled Ko to score.
Sulbaran closed with a strikeout.
In the seventh inning, Gilmer Lampe walked for the Netherlands with two outs, but stranded on first base.
The Dutch offense was retired in order (two strikeouts) in the eighth.
Mike Bolsenbroek became the new Orange-pitcher in the bottom of the seventh.
He hit Chia Wei Huang with a pitch, but his pinch-runner Wei-Ming Huang was left behind on first base.
In the eighth, Kevin Kelly took the mound for the Netherlands.
With two outs, he gave up a single to Wei-Chih Chen, then walked pinch-hitter Po-Hao Huang.
But he closed with a strikeout.
In the top of the ninth, it was the Netherlands that left two runners behind in scoring position.
With one out, Stijn van der Meer reached on an error, then Dwayne Kemp singled.
After a pitching change, the two runners executed a double-steal, but they were left behind.
Tom Stuifbergen closed the game for the Netherlands.
Due to an error, the righthander got the bases loaded.
He walked lead-off hitter Hsin-Chuan Wang and with one out, Yu-Wei Kao reached on an error by short stop Stijn van der Meer.
Stuifbergen then followed with a strikeout, but got the bases loaded when he walked Ching-Han Ko.
But Stuifbergen ended the threat by striking out Hao-Chen Chen, which ended the game.
Playing for the Netherlands were:
Dwayne Kemp (3B, 2-for-5), Sharlon Schoop (2B, 1-for-4), Gilmer Lampe (CF, 0-for-4), Gianison Boekhoudt (DH, 0-for-3), Denzel Richardson (RF, 1-for-4), Rodney Daal (C, 1-for-3), Dudley Leonora (1B, 1-for-3), Stijn van der Meer (SS, 1-for-4) and pitchers Diegomar Markwell, Juan Carlos Sulbaran, Mike Bolsenbroek, Kevin Kelly and Tom Stuifbergen.
|
Netherlands wins against Chinese Taipei with good pitching
ROTTERDAM (Neth.) -
After having lost its previous two games, the Netherlands Baseball Team won 4-1 against Chinese Taipei on Day 5 of the 17th World Port Tournament Baseball in Rotterdam.
On Tuesday-evening (July 16), five pitchers had a solid outing to lead the Netherlands to its second victory of the tournament.
Starter Diegomar Markwell left with a 4-0 lead in the sixth inning, then four relievers gave up only one more basehit in the remainder of the game.
Two years ago, Chinese Taipei was the winner of the event.
This year, the Asian team opened with two wins, before losing today against the Netherlands.
With the win, the Netherlands can end up in the top of the ranking again.
With a loss, the Orange Team could have finished in fifth place in the preliminary round.
However, every team remains in the race for Sunday's Final, due to the system of the Play-Offs.
World Port Tournament 2019.