(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Henk Seppen & FIBS)
   Netherlands captures European Under-23 title
Nederlands
  VERONA / SAN MARTINO BUON ALBERGO (Italy) -
The Netherlands Under-23 Team captured the title at the third edition of the European Under-23 Championship by winning the Final against Germany with a 7-3 score on Saturday-evening (August 28).
Italy finished in third place after winning 8-1 against Great Britain.
Defending champion Czech Republic finished in fifth place.
The main-site of the event was located in the historic Italian city of Verona.
The city known for the famous Arena di Verona, a Roman amphitheatre built in 30 AD.
The Arena is still in use and famous for large-scale opera performances.
Games were also played in nearby San Martino Buon Albergo.
The games during the European Championship lasted seven innings, unless a mercy-rule run-difference as reached or extra innings were needed.
This is the second European Under-23 title for the Netherlands.
In 2017, the team won the very-first edition of this age-group when the tournament was held in three countries (Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia).
Back then, the Netherlands won 10-9 against the Czech Republic in ten innings.
Two years ago, in Prague (Czech Republic), the Netherlands played a disappointing European Championship and then finished in a tie for fifth place.
The Czechs then faced Germany in the Final and won 4-1.
Next month, the Netherlands will participate in the Under-23 World Cup, which begins on September 23 and will be held in Mexico.
The World Cup was scheduled for last year, but then was postponed to this year due to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).
Because of the postponement, players up to the age of 24 are eligible to participate.
Initially, the Netherlands didn't qualify for the event, as only the two finalists of the 2019 European Championship qualified.
However, in recent weeks, China, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa withdraw from participation.
Just before the start of the European Championship in Italy, the Netherlands, Colombia, the Dominican Republic and Panama were invited to participate instead.
In Mexico, the Orange-squad opens the event in Group B, which will play its games in Hermosillo.
In the Preliminary Round, the Netherlands meets Colombia, Nicaragua, Panama, South Korea and Venezuela.
Group A is formed by the Chinese Taipei, Cuba, Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, Germany and host Mexico, which also is the defending champion.
The games in this group will be played in Ciudad Obregon.
...The Netherlands Team celebrates winning the European title...
(© Photo: FIBS) |
The Netherlands opened the European Championship on Tuesday with a big 17-3 win in six innings against Belgium.
In that game, the Netherlands scored three runs in the third inning, but Belgium came alongside in its third at bat.
The Orange Team re-took the lead in the fifth inning by scoring four runs, then rallied for ten more runs in the sixth inning.
The team collected eleven basehits, including three by Julian Rip and Max Kops.
The latter hit a 3-run homerun and batted in six runs.
On Wednesday, the Netherlands won 10-1 against Germany.
This time, the team briefly trailed 1-0 halfway the first inning, but came alongside in its first at bat.
The Netherlands added two runs in both the third and fourth inning, then added five more in the fifth.
There were twelve Orange-basehits, againg including three by Julian Rip, who also scored three runs.
Delano Selassa batted in four runs.
The Netherlands closed the Preliminary Round on Thursday with a 10-0 shutout-win in six innings against Ukraine.
The team led only 2-0 after four innings, but then staged another big rally, scoring seven runs in the fifth at bat.
The Netherlands collected eleven basehits, including a 3-run homerun by Yurdion Martie.
Koen Postelmans went the distance and threw a 6-inning 4-hitter.
In the Semi-Final on Friday, the Netherlands also had a productive rally against Great Britain.
The British Team opened the score with two runs in the top of the first inning, then the Netherlands answered with four runs and added two more in the second at bat.
Great Britain narrowed the deficit to 6-4 in the third, but the Netherlands then rallied for six runs in the fourth to take a decisive lead.
The Netherlands had twelve basehits and for the third time in four games, Julian Rip recorded three of them (two doubles).
He also scored three runs.
Delano Selassa and Tyriq Kemp both batted in three runs.
In the other Semi-Final on Friday, Germany nipped Italy 1-0.
The lone run in the game was scored in the top of the seventh inning.
With one out, Yannic Walther and Marco Cardoso both walked.
After a pitching change, Simon Baumgardt delivered a runscoring single.
For Germany, this was the only time in the game that it got a runner in scoring position.
Italy left a runner in scoring position in the first inning off of starter Simon Bäumer, who struckout ten batters.
Trailing 1-0, the Italians got a runner on third base with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but a grounder then ended the game.
Dutch Umpire Roy van de Wateringen was behind the plate in this game.
...Sidney de Jong as Hitting Coach and Steve Janssen...
...as Manager during the 2016 European...
...Championship in Hoofddorp...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Germany is led by former Netherlands Team Manager Steve Janssen.
Since 2019, the Belgian coach leads both the National Team, as well as the Under-23 Team of Germany.
In the Final, he faced Sidney de Jong, who is the Manager of the Netherlands Under-23 Team.
In 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, De Jong was a member of the coaching-staff of Janssen with the Netherlands Team.
Evert-Jan 't Hoen, who succeeded Janssen as Manager of the Netherlands Team, was De Jong's Bench Coach during this tournament.
In the Final, both the Netherlands and Germany failed to score in the first inning.
For the Netherlands, Julian Rip led off the game with a walk.
German starter Marcel Giraud then struckout Max Kops, but also walked Delano Selassa.
With two runners on base, the German righthander also struckout Tommy van de Sanden and Sheadion Jamanika to close the at bat.
Germany got the bases loaded with one out in its first at bat off of Orange-starter Jayden Gonesh.
The righthander gave up a lead-off single to Marco Cardoso.
Short stop Tommy van de Sanden then made a fielding error on a following force play-grounder by Simon Baumgardt.
Gonesh followed with a strikeout, but hereafter, Van de Sanden made another error, this time on a grounder by Simon Bäumer, which could have been the third out.
Instead, Germany now had the bases loaded with only one out.
The Orange Team escaped unharmed, as Van de Sanden then started an inning-ending double play on a grounder by Lou Helmig, who is a grandson of German pitching legend Claus Helmig.
The Netherlands opened the score with two runs in the top of the second inning.
With one out, Tyriq Kemp walked and Dave Janssen singled.
With two outs, Joe Cedano de Leon took over the pitching, but he was greeted with a 2-run triple by Julian Rip.
After Germany cut the deficit in half in its second inning, the Netherlands took more distance with a 3-run rally in the top of the third.
Delano Selassa led off with a single and Tommy van de Sanden walked, which led to another pitching change.
Samuel Steigert took over, but his first delivery was a wild pitch, which moved the runners to second and third base.
With one out, Selassa scored on a sacrifice fly by Yurdion Martie, then Van de Sanden scored on a double by Tyriq Kemp.
After next batter Dave Janssen walked, Daniel Mendelsohn became the fourth German pitcher.
He gave up an RBI-single to Jeandro Tromp, which increased the lead to 5-1.
In the bottom of the third inning, Dutch starter Jayden Gonesh got two quick outs, then hit a batter and was relieved by Raf Cocu, who closed with a strikeout.
The Netherlands then added another run in the top of the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Yurdion Martie.
In the bottom of the fourth, Raf Cocu had two runners on base (walk, hit by pitch) with one out, then closed with two more strikeouts.
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...Julian Rip, Aaron de Groot & Jeandro Tromp...
...Best Hitter, Pitcher & MVP... |
Jasper Elfrink became the third Orange-pitcher in the bottom of the fifth and he then retired the side (two strikeouts).
But in the sixth, Elfrink gave up two runs.
Lou Helmig led off with a single and with one out, David Dinski walked.
Both advanced on a wild pitch.
With two outs, both scored on a single by Yannic Walther.
Next batter Marco Cardoso followed with a line drive, but that was caught by first baseman Sheadion Jamanika.
In the top of the seventh, the Netherlands scored its seventh run.
With one out, the bases got loaded when Tyriq Kemp and Dave Janssen both walked and Jeandro Tromp singled.
The latter was forced out on a grounder by Julian Rip, but that also enabled Kemp to score.
In the bottom of the seventh, Kevin Bakker closed the game.
He walked the lead-off hitter, then gave up a single to the next one, but followed with a strikeout.
The two runners advanced on a grounder, then Bakker closed with a strikeout.
Besides winning the European title, all three individual awards also went to the Netherlands.
Julian Rip was the Best Hitter with a .600 batting average, Aaron de Groot the Best Pitcher and Jeandro Tromp the Most Valuable Player.
Rip led the Netherlands Team in batting average, runs scored (11), basehits (12), doubles (3), triples (3), total bases (21) and slugging percentage (1.050) and was third in runs batted (7).
The roster of the Netherlands Team was as follows:
Pitchers: Kevin Bakker, Raf Cocu, Jasper Elfrink, Jayden Gonesh, Gio de Graauw, Aaron de Groot, Naut Kragt, Koen Postelmans, Scott Prins.
Catchers: Dave Janssen, Yurdion Martie.
Infielders: Sheadion Jamanika, Tyriq Kemp, Delano Selassa, Tommy van de Sanden, Diamond Silberie.
Outfielders: Ruendrick Piternella, Julian Rip, Jeandro Tromp.
Coaching-staff: Sidney de Jong (Manager), Evert-Jan 't Hoen (Bench Coach), Jeroen Sluijter (3B Coach), Robin van Doornspeek (Pitching Coach).
Supporting Staff: Quintijn van der Roest (Physical Therapist), Tjerk Smeets (Delegation Leader).
(August 28)
Final Standings:
1. Netherlands, 2. Germany, 3. Italy, 4. Great Britain, 5. Czech Republic, 6. France, 7. Belgium, 8. Ukraine.
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Final European Under-23 Championship Baseball.