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(Story by Marco Stoovelaar) DSS/Kinheim records big win vs. Quick Amersfoort in season-opener Nederlands AMERSFOORT (Neth.) - DSS/Kinheim opened the 2021 season with a 9-3 win against Quick Amersfoort on Friday-evening (April 30). The Haarlem-team took an early lead in the first inning and from the third inning on, the team hold onto the lead in the remainder of the game. The game was originally scheduled for Thursday-evening, but then, it was one of three games that were cancelled due to weather conditions. On Thursday, it had been raining sometimes steadily until the early afternoon in several parts of the country. From 3 PM on, games in Amsterdam, Bussum and Amersfoort were cancelled and re-scheduled for tonight. In the lone game that was played on Thursday, Curaçao Neptunus shutout Silicon Storks, 8-0. The second game of the 3-game series will be played on Saturday in Haarlem at 2 PM. Game 3 will be played on Sunday in Amersfoort at 2 PM. The 2021 season was initially scheduled to open on Thursday, April 8, but the start was postponed to today, due to the measures against the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). The 2021 season is the 100th in the highest Dutch baseball-league, since there was a first small competition set-up in 1922. Back then, Quick Amsterdam captured the first Championship-title. The team that wins the title this year will be the 99th season. Last year, after an abbreviated season, Amsterdam Pirates led 2-0 in the Holland Series against Curaçao Neptunus. Because of new and stricter measures against the coronavirus, the best-of-seven ended abruptly and didn't resume. It was decided that there would be no champion in 2020. Therefore, Amsterdam Pirates is still the reigning champion after capturing the title in 2019 when it also faced Neptunus in the Holland Series. Pirates then became the first team in history to win the final four games after having lost the first three. (April 30)

The opening-game between Quick Amersfoort and DSS/Kinheim wasn't that good. There were 22 walks in tonight's game, thirteen of them issued by five Quick-pitchers, the others thrown by three DSS/Kinheim-pitchers. Both starting pitchers accounted for the majority of these walks. Quick-starter Jhan Rifaela walked six batters, DSS/Kinheim-starter Jelle Bing issued seven walks. But DSS/Kinheim also was the most productive team, collecting 11 basehits, including three by Nick Hofer. On the other hand, the team also left 16 runners behind. DSS/Kinheim struck early and took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning off of lefthander Jhan Rifaela. He walked lead-off hitter Thomas Bos, then gave up a single to Jochem Koedijk. After the two had advanced on a sacrifice bunt, both scored on a single by Seb Visser. Quick got one run back in its first at bat when Bas Wiers led off with a single and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Taylor Clemensia. The home-team came alongside in the second when Amar van Zwieten led off with a double and scored on a wild pitch. DSS/Kinheim re-took the lead by scoring two runs in the top of the third. Seb Visser then led off with a walk and next batter Mick van Vliet (who made his big league-debut) was hit by a pitch. Both scored on a 2-out single by Nick Hofer. Quick narrowed the deficit to 4-3 in the bottom of the third when Bas Wiers walked and scored on a double play-grounder. But from the fourth inning on, DSS/Kinheim on piling up runs to take more distance. In the fourth, a run was scored on a sac-fly by Seb Visser and in the fifth, Thomas Bos singled in another run. In the eighth, the team rallied for three more runs off of debuting reliever Maverich Lourens. With the bases loaded, a run was scored on a walk for Wesley van Hemert, then Matis Crouwel added a 2-run double with one out. With runners on second and third base and two outs, the Quick-coaching decided to save its pitching for the next two games. Mees Robberse, who is a catcher, was inserted as new pitcher. He got the bases loaded, but closed with a strikeout, then held DSS/Kinheim scoreless in the ninth. After having scored in the first three innings, Quick Amersfoort was held scoreless in the remainder of the game. In the fifth inning, Moreno Vork took over the pitching for DSS/Kinheim and did a fine job on the mound. The righthander faced only twelve batters in the four innings he threw. He allowed only one batter to reach base (walk), but was then supported with a double play.

Quick Amersfoort - DSS/Kinheim 3-9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E DSS/Kinheim 2 0 2 1 1 0 0 3 0 - 9 11 1 Quick Amersfoort 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 3 5 1 pitchers DSS/Kinheim inn. SO BB H R ER Jelle Bing 4 1 7 3 3 2 Moreno Vork, W (1-0) 4 4 1 - - - Nick Boxelaar 1 2 1 2 - - (Vork credited with the win based on Rule 9.17 b) pitchers Quick Amersfoort inn. SO BB H R ER Jhan Rifaela, L (0-1) 3.1 4 6 5 5 5 Jasper Popken 2.2 4 2 2 1 1 Rik Jalvingh 1 - 1 1 - - Maverich Lourens 0.2 2 2 2 3 3 Mees Robberse 1.1 2 2 1 - - Box Score Play-by-Play Standings Scores Schedule Team Rosters Umpires: HP-Winfried Berkvens, 1B-Efrem Silvania, 3B-Olav Steijger. Official Scorer-Dieks Bannink. Play-by-Play Scorer-Jeanette van Drunen. Public Address Announcer-Henri Bruins Slot. Scoreboard Operator-Bianca Vrolijk. Starting Time-7:30 PM. Time Played-3:16 hrs. Site-XL Lease Park 'Dorrestein', Amersfoort. Game Notes: Opening Night 2021 Season. Milan Lammerts, Mick van Vliet, Nick Boxelaar (all DSS/Kinheim), Rik Jalvingh and Maverich Lourens (both Quick Amersfoort) make their debut in the Dutch big league. Bas Wiers (Quick Amersfoort), who made his debut last season in the Top-4 Pool, plays in his first regular season-game in the Dutch big league. Game was originally scheduled to be played on Thursday, April 29, but then was cancelled in the afternoon due to rain and field conditions and re-scheduled for tonight. Weather conditions at game time: Overcast, 9° C (48,2° F); wind direction north-northwest; wind speed 11 kmh (6,8 mph); wind force 2 Bft; humidity 79%.

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