In tonight's quick-paced game, both starting pitchers went the distance.
On a cloudy evening, Duko Jansen (Sparks Haarlem) and Finn Kragt (RCH-Pinguïns) threw all nine innings.
Kragt had a strong outing, striking out eleven batters, giving up only four basehits and throwing a shutout.
Jansen also did well, as he struckout eight batters, but he gave up eleven basehits and seven runs.
Five of these hits and five of these runs came in one at bat.
Jansen retired the side in the first inning, but the veteran righthander then gave up his first run in the second.
Tilsaimy Melfor led off for RCH with a double, moved on a grounder by Leandro Anasagasti, then scored on a following single by Geoffrey Verhoef, who later was caught stealing.
With a runner on first base in the third, the inning ended when Sparks-third baseman Yasar Guntekin caught a line drive hit by Thomas Kwakernaak.
...Winning pitcher Finn Kragt...
...complete game, 10 strikeouts...
(© Photo: Robert Bos) |
But in the top of the fourth inning, RCH took more distance with a 5-run rally, which also proved to be decisive.
The first six batters in this at bat all reached base off of Jansen, five of them with a basehit.
Jesse Aussems led off with a single, then Tilsaimy Melfor followed with a double.
Both scored when a fly into the outfield by Leandro Anasagasti was dropped for an error.
Anasagasti ended up on third base and scored on an infield-hit by Geoffrey Verhoef.
Hereafter, RCH got the bases loaded when Sebastiaan van der Horst and Jeremy Young also singled.
Young, who is the pitching-ace of RCH, was the leftfielder tonight.
Duko Jansen followed with a strikeout, but then gave up a 2-run single to Daan Groenewoud and that lifted the lead to 6-0.
Thomas Kwakernaak, the ninth batter in the inning, grounded into a double play, but the visiting team had taken a comfortable lead.
In the next three at bats, RCH got into scoring position again, but this time, Jansen and his defense gave up no runs.
With two outs in the fifth, Leandro Anasagasti doubled, but was left behind.
In the sixth, RCH its first two batters on base, but a strikeout and double play followed.
And in the seventh, with two outs, Jansen hit a batter and walked another, but they stranded on first and second base.
In the top of the eighth, RCH added another run.
Lead-off hitter Sebastiaan van der Horst struckout, but reached on a passed ball.
Hereafter, Sven van de Sanden reached on an error and pinch-hitter Ties van der Beeke then connected for an infield-hit.
However, that also led to the elimination of Van de Sanden.
With one out, Daan Groenewoud followed with a runscoring single.
Groenewoud was 2-for-5 and batted in three runs tonight.
Sparks Haarlem got only three runners into scoring position (two of them in the ninth) off of Finn Kragt.
In the first three innings, the righthander got only one baserunner.
With one out in the second, he walked Jerry Zonneveld, but a double play followed.
The first Haarlem-baserunner came into scoring position in the bottom of the fourth.
With one out, Wessel Pirovano singled, then moved to third base when a pick-off attempt by Kragt ended in a throwing error.
With two outs, the righthander walked Ruben Hoek, but then closed with a strikeout.
Kragt retired the side in the next three innings.
After having retired eleven consecutive batters since the fourth, he gave up an one-out single in the eighth to Guido Schoonderbeek, but he stranded on first base.
Trailing 7-0, Sparks got two runners on third base in the bottom of the ninth, but was kept scoreless.
Finn Kragt began with his tenth strikeout, but then gave up a double to Wessel Pirovano, who moved to third base when an outfield-error followed.
Moments later, Pirovano was eliminated at the plate, trying to score on a comeback-grounder back to the pitcher from Kevin Nieveld.
Hereafter, Nieveld advanced on a single by Ruben Hoek and stole third base.
But the veteran played was left behind when a grounder ended the at bat and the game.
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Pilot-Pool: RCH-Pinguïns shuts out Sparks Haarlem in make-up game
HEEMSTEDE (Neth.) -
RCH Memorie Sieraden shut out Sparks Haarlem 7-0 on Tuesday-evening (September 13) in a make-up game in the Major League/First Division Pilot-Pool.
The game was originally scheduled for last Thursday, but was cancelled due to rain and an unplayable field.
This was a home-game for Sparks, but as there is no light-installation at its home-site, it was played at the site of RCH in Heemstede.
On Saturday, RCH-Pinguïns won with a 5-3 score.
On Sunday, Sparks Haarlem recorded a 7-4 victory after trailing 4-1 in the fifth inning.
Major League/First Division Pilot-Pool.