Initially, it appeared that DSS/Kinheim was to force a third and deciding game in the Wild Card Qualifer, as the Haarlem-based team rallied for five runs in the bottom of the first inning.
However, Hoofddorp Pioniers answered in the second at bat with a 6-run rally.
DSS/Kinheim came alongside, but then was kept scoreless in the remainder of the game.
Pioniers went on to score eleven more runs from the third inning on.
DSS/Kinheim had a productive first at bat off of Pioniers-starter Koen van 't Klooster.
When the first out was made, DSS/Kinheim already led 5-0.
Jason Jakobus led off with a single and scored the first run on a following double by Jesse Velders, who then went on to score himself on a single by Koen Halderman.
Next, the home-team got the bases loaded when Jochem Koedijk and Sem Kuijper both walked.
All three went on to score on a double-error that followed on a hit by next batter Daisuke Fukuda.
A hit by the Japanese player was dropped in the outfield, which enabled Halderman to score, making it a sacrifice fly.
Koedijk advanced to third base, then scored when a throwing error followed from the outfield.
That also enabled Kuijper to score, while Fukuda ended up on second base.
A flyout and strikeout followed, but DSS/Kinheim had taken a 5-0 lead.
Hereafter, the team got the bases loaded again, as Thomas Bos walked and Jason Jakobus reached on an infield-hit, to record his second basehit in this inning.
This time, the three runners were left behind, as a foul pop-fly by next batter Jesse Velders was caught.
What could have been a comfortable early lead was shortlived, as Hoofddorp Pioniers answered with a 6-run rally in the top of the second inning off of Bas Timmer.
Dirk van 't Klooster, the all-time basehit leader in Dutch baseball, led off with a walk.
This season, Van 't Klooster is the Hitting Coach of Pioniers.
However, on June 4, the lefthanded hitter came out of retirement.
Today, he was the designated hitter in what was his fifth game of the year for Pioniers.
...Dirk van 't Klooster played in his 5th game...
...He scored twice and stole his first base since 2014...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
Van 't Klooster moved into scoring position via a sacrifice bunt by Denzel Brooks, then advanced to third base on a single by Pim Vijfvinkel.
Next, the bases got loaded when Bodhi de Vreede walked.
A grounder by next hitter Jorrit Penseel appeared in Van 't Klooster to be forced out at the plate.
But a throwing error followed and both Van 't Klooster and Vijfvinkel scored.
Another run was added on a single by Joost van den Bergh.
Timmer followed with a strikeout, but with two outs and two runners on base, the lefthander gave up a 3-run homerun to rookie Michael Dumitrescu.
With his first big league-homerun, Dumitrescu put Pioniers ahead, 6-5.
Next batter Reangelo Willems singled, but Bas Timmer then closed by striking out Dirk van 't Klooster.
That lead also was shortlived.
With one out in the bottom of the second, Jochem Koedijk walked, moved to third base on a double by Sem Kuijper, then scored the tying run on a grounder by Daisuke Fukuda.
For DSS/Kinheim, this was to be its final run in this game.
Pioniers turned the game around from the third inning on and added eleven more runs.
The Hoofddorp-team broke the 6-6 tie by scoring three runs in the top of the third inning off of new pitcher Mathijs Oosterbeek.
The righthander had started the season with Pioniers, but he transfered to DSS/Kinheim in late May.
Oosterbeek first gave up a lead-off single to Denzel Brooks.
With one out, a force play-grounder by Bodhi de Vreede resulted in no out, then the bases got loaded when Jorrit Penseel walked.
Pioniers re-took the lead when next batter Joost van den Bergh also walked.
With the bases still loaded, two runs were added on a single by Raul Jacobs.
Pioniers added two runs in the fourth inning.
Dirk van 't Klooster led off with an infield-hit, which was his second basehit of the season.
With two outs, Van 't Klooster stole second base!
Two pitches later, Bodhi de Vreede walked.
Both scored on a single by Jorrit Penseel.
For Van 't Klooster, this was his first stolen base since May 22, 2014.
Back then, he stole second base in the third inning, also against Kinheim, with David Bergman being the pitcher.
Eight players from that game, are still active this season, but none of them play for the same team.
Current Pioniers Head Coach Mervin Gario then was the third baseman for Kinheim.
Current HCAW Head Coach Danny Rombley was the centerfielder for Pioniers.
Elton Koeiman, the current Pitching Coach of Twins Oosterhout, then was the starting pitcher for Pioniers.
Also playing for Kinheim in the 2014 game were Quintin de Cuba (who now plays for HCAW), Sven van de Sanden (RCH-Pinguïns) and Dashenko Ricardo (Neptunus).
Also playing for Pioniers were Kevin Dirksen and Max Draijer (both HCAW).
Pioniers was then held scoreless by new pitcher Jelle Bing in the fifth, but then staged another 6-run rally in the sixth on six basehits.
Denzel Brooks led off and drove the ball info leftfield.
There, leftfielder Jason Jakobus attempted to make a diving catch, but the ball went by him and Brooks raced to third base for a triple.
In the meantime, a throwing error followed from the outfield to third base, where third baseman Seb Visser was in the way of Brooks and blocked him, while the ball ended up in foul territory.
Home Plate Umpire Edson Louisa awarded Brooks home plate on an obstruction-call.
Pim Vijfvinkel and Bodhi de Vreede then both reached on an infield-hit and advanced via a sacrifice bunt by Jorrit Penseel.
Moments later, they scored on runscoring singles by Joost van den Bergh and Raul Jacobs.
When Michael Dumitrescu followed with a 2-run single, Pioniers increased its lead to 16-6 to reach a mercy-rule run-difference.
That led to a pitching-change, as Milan van der Breggen took over from Jelle Bing.
He got a force play-grounder from Reangelo Willems, but another error was made.
Hereafter, Van der Breggen struckout Dirk van 't Klooster.
This was the second time in this game that the veteran struckout.
He hadn't struckout in the four previous games he played.
But today, the 46-year old Van 't Klooster was struckout by two pitchers who weren't even born when the outfielder made his debut in the Dutch big league in 1993.
He also was struckout for the first time by a pitcher who was born in this century (Van der Breggen, 2001).
With two outs, Van der Breggen got the bases loaded when he walked Denzel Brooks.
Pioniers then added an 'insurance run' when next batter Pim Vijfvinkel also walked.
DSS/Kinheim was held scoreless from the third inning, but did get runners in scoring position in the sixth and seventh at bat.
With Pioniers leading 11-6, Lucca van der Schouw took over the pitching for starter Koen van 't Klooster, the son of Dirk.
A week ago, he threw his first complete 9-inning game in the big league against Quick Amersfoort.
Van 't Klooster then threw 113 pitches in nine innings.
Today, the righthander needed 110 pitches in the four innings he was on the mound.
After DSS/Kinheim had stranded a runner on first base in the fifth, it got a runner in scoring position in the next at bat.
Koen Halderman then singled with one out and Sem Kuijper walked with two outs, but a flyout ended the at bat.
In the bottom of the seventh, Lars Broers pitched for Pioniers.
The importantance of the 'insurance run' scored in the top of the seventh was then underscored.
Pioniers now led 17-6 and thus, it could give up one run and still end the game via the mercy-rule.
That run was almost scored as DSS/Kinheim got the bases loaded.
With one out, Seb Visser walked and Thomas Bos reached on an infield-hit.
With two outs, Jesse Velders walked, which loaded the bases.
But the run was not scored, as a flyout ended the at bat and the game.
With that, Hoofddorp Pioniers won the series 2-0.
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Hoofddorp Pioniers wins Wild Card Qualifier with convincing win vs. DSS/Kinheim
HAARLEM (Neth.) -
Hoofddorp Pioniers recorded a convincing 17-6 victory in seven innings on Saturday (August 6) against DSS/Kinheim in the second game of the best-of-three Wild Card Qualifier.
With that, the Hoofddorp-team won the series 2-0 after opening with a 4-1 win on Thursday-evening.
Initially, Pioniers faced an early 5-0 deficit halfway the first inning.
The team then rallied for six runs in the second at bat and broke a 6-6 tie in the third inning.
From that moment on, Pioniers turned the game around and recorded a mercy-rule victory.
Game 2 best-of-three Wild Card Qualifier.