Rookie righthander Jelle Bing started for DSS/Kinheim and retired the side in the top of the first inning.
Moments later, the Haarlem-based team opened the score.
Facing lefthander Chris Pfau, lead-off hitter Thomas Bos walked.
With two outs, he stole second base, then scored on a double by Tommy van de Sanden.
This not only gave DSS/Kinheim an early lead, it also was the first run scored in the 2020 big league-season.
Hereafter, the game remained scoreless through the sixth inning.
From the second inning on, Pioniers got four scoring opportunities, but was unable to score.
With one out in the top of the second, Tyler Boersma singled and Joey Eeman walked.
But Boersma was then caught stealing and a strikeout ended the at bat.
In the fourth, Pioniers got the bases loaded.
With one out, Victor Draijer doubled and with two outs, Joey Eeman was hit by a pitch and Duco Nuijten walked.
But all three were left behind.
With two outs in the fifth, Pioniers got two more baserunners.
Raul Jacobs reached on an error and Max Draijer followed with a single.
This time, a pop-fly ended the at bat.
In the sixth, Tyler Boersma led off with a single and moved into scoring position via a sacrifice bunt by Joey Eeman.
With Boersma on second base, Jelle Bing was relieved by Moreno Vork, who retired the next two batters.
But in the top of the seventh inning, Pioniers scored twice off of Vork.
With one out, Mark Smit was hit by a pitch and Raul Jacobs singled.
After a double-steal and with two outs, the bases got loaded when Victor Draijer walked.
Tyler Boersma, who was 3-for-4, followed with a 2-run single to put Pioniers ahead, 2-1.
Robyn Clara took over from Vork in the eighth inning.
After giving the run in the first inning, Pioniers-starter Chris Pfau encountered no problems in the next six at bats.
From the second through seventh inning, Pfau allowed only four batters to reach base and only one of them got into scoring position.
Pfau retired the side in the second and third inning.
After having retired nine consecutive batters, Pfau gave up a 2-out single to Kevin Nieveld in the fourth, but then closed with a strikeout.
In the fifth, Aidan Finnegan singled with one out for DSS/Kinheim.
He moved to second base when Pfau caught a bunt by Nick Hofer, but then made a throwing error to first base.
Finnegan stranded at second base.
In both the sixth and seventh, Pfau got a baserunner with one out.
The first was caught stealing, the second was eliminated in a double play.
But in the bottom of the eighth, DSS/Kinheim came alongside.
Aidan Finnegan, who last season played for L&D Amsterdam Pirates, led off with walk, moved on a sac-bunt by Nick Hofer and scored the tying run on a single by Thomas Bos.
Hereafter, Pfau was relieved by Sander Helmendach, who eliminated the next two batters to end the inning.
Pioniers re-took the lead in the top of the ninth off of Robyn Clara.
With one out, Max Draijer was hit by a pitch.
He scored when Victor Draijer followed with a double, who advanced to third base on the throw to the plate.
Next batter Tyler Boersma was walked intentionally, who stole second base moments later.
The inning then ended with a double play.
Clara first struckout Joey Eeman, then Victor Draijer was eliminated at third base in a rundown.
With Pioniers now leading 3-2, Angelo Wicklert took over the pitching.
He gave up singles to Tommy van de Sanden and Kevin Nieveld.
After the first moved to third base on a flyout, a pop-fly accounted for the second out.
Next batter Aidan Finnegan connected well and drove the ball into right-centerfield for a walk-off, 2-run double that gave DSS/Kinheim a 4-3 win in its first big league-game.
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DSS/Kinheim makes big league-debut with walk-off win
HAARLEM (Neth.) -
DSS/Kinheim made its debut in the highest league with a walk-off surprising 4-3 victory against Hoofddorp Pioniers on Thursday-evening (July 23).
Last season, DSS had to play in the best-of-five Promotion/Relegation Series against the champion of the 'Overgangsklasse', which was Kinheim.
DSS won the series 3-2 to stay in the big league.
In the off-season, the two clubs started talks to come to a working agreement.
That resulted in the creation of DSS/Kinheim, which will have three baseball-teams with this name this season.
The main squad plays in the big league (the spot of DSS), while its second team plays in the second higest league (the spot of Kinheim).
A third team plays in the so-called Top Class, which is the third highest league.
Jelle Bing and Nick Hofer (both DSS/Kinheim) make their debut in the Dutch big League.