(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Henk Seppen)
   Netherlands shuts out Sweden in exhibition game
Nederlands
 NOVARA (Italy) -
The Netherlands Baseball Team also won its second exhibition game to prepare for the upcoming European Championship.
On Friday (September 10), the Orange Team shutout Sweden 6-0 in a 5-inning game, played in Novara.
On Thursday, the Netherlands won its first exhibition game against Spain with a 7-3 score.
The 36th edition of the European Championship opens coming Sunday and will be organized in the Piedmont-region in Italy.
The games will be played at three different locations.
On Sunday, the Netherlands opens the Championship in Torino against Slovakia in Group D.
Sweden will play the opening game of the event on Sunday-morning against the Czech Republic in Settimo Torinese.
Both also play in Group D and will meet the Netherlands Monday (Czechs) and Tuesday (Sweden).
Today, it was agreed beforehand that a short game was to be played and so, the teams faced each other in five innings.
...Dwayne Kemp...
...2-for-2, double, RBI...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
The Orange Team was initially retired in order in the first inning, but then scored twice in the second at bat.
Lead-off hitter Juremi Profar reached on an error and stole second base, then Jiandido Tromp walked and the bases got loaded when Dwayne Kemp singled.
After a pop-fly accounted for an infield-fly, Dashenko Ricardo delivered a 2-run single.
Next batter John Polonius hit a line drive, but that was caught and ended in a double play as Kemp was also eliminated at second base.
A 4-run rally followed in the third inning.
With one out, Roger Bernadina walked and Ray-Patrick Didder was hit by a pitch.
With two outs, Denzel Richardson was then inserted as an Additional Batter in the batting order and delivered a pinch-hit, runscoring single.
Jiandido Tromp then contributed with a 2-run triple and scored himself on a double by Dwayne Kemp.
As Richardson remained in the batting order, he became an Extra Designated Hitter.
The Netherlands also got on base in the fourth and fifth inning, but was held scoreless.
In the fourth, Sicnarf Loopstok led off with a single, but he was eliminated in an inning-ending double play.
In the fifth, Julian Rip singled with two outs, but was left behind.
Rip had replaced Ray-Patrick Didder defensively, but both remained in the batting order, making Didder an Additional Batter.
Sweden got into scoring position twice off of three pitchers.
Juan Carlos Sulbaran started and gave up a 2-out single in the first inning, but that runner stranded on first base.
In the second inning, the righthander gave up a lead-off double, but the next three batters were retired.
Kevin Kelly took over the pitching in the third inning and retired the side.
With one out in the fourth, he gave up a double, then followed with a strikeout and was relieved by Wendell Floranus, who closed with a strikeout.
In the fifth, Floranus walked a batter with one out, but also struckout three more batters.
Pitchers Mike Bolsenbroek, Lars Huijer and Franklin Van Gurp were the lone players who didn't play in the exhition games.
That means that they are the most probable pitchers to pitch in the opening game on Sunday against Slovakia.
The following players came into action today:
Calten Daal (2B, 0-for-3), Roger Bernadina (CF, 0-for-2), Ray-Patrick Didder (RF, Additional Batter, 0-for-2), Julian Rip (RF, 1-for-1), Juremi Profar (1B, 0-for-3), Denzel Richardson (PH, Additional Batter, Extra Designated Hitter, 1-for-1), Jiandido Tromp (LF, 1-for-1), Dwayne Kemp (DH, 2-for-2), Junior Martina (3B, 0-for-2), Dashenko Ricardo (C, 1-for-1), Sicnarf Loopstok (C, 1-for-1), John Polonius (SS, 0-for-2) and pitchers Juan Carlos Sulbaran, Kevin Kelly and Wendell Floranus.
(September 10)
Related Articles:
 Netherlands Team wins exhibition game against Spain. (September 9)
Roster Netherlands Team announced for European Championship. (September 7)
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29th international game of the Netherlands against Sweden.