(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Robert Bos)
 Starting Pitchers coming series
Nederlands
 AMSTERDAM (Neth.) -
On Thursday-evening (June 22), the next games will be played in both the Top-4 Pool and Bottom-5 Pool, which form the second half of the regular season in the Dutch big league.
Last weekend, the first round in the Top-4 Pool was played.
Curaçao Neptunus, the winner of the first half of the season, swept RCH-Pinguïns, which will play the remainder of the season without Juan Carlos Sulbaran.
The righthander, who mostly had been the Game 2 starter for the team from Heemstede, was 6-1 and struckout 55 batters in 52 innings.
Sulbaran pitched in eight games (all starts), which was more than expected.
Before the start of the season, Sulbaran signed a contract with Lexington Counter Clocks, which plays in an Independent League.
Until he would leave for the USA, Sulbaran would pitch for RCH, which would be in two or three games.
However, due to visa-problems, his departure to the USA had to be postponed.
But last week, the pitcher did leave.
Reigning champion HCAW, which captured the European Champions Cup one-and-a-half-week ago, opened the Top-4 Pool with two wins and one loss against Amsterdam Pirates.
Righthander Lars Huijer, who mostly had been the Game 1 starter, didn't pitch in that series due to an injury.
Huijer also has not been announced as one of the (probable) starters in HCAW's upcoming series against Neptunus.
...Orlando Yntema pitching during his comeback...
(© Photo: Robert Bos) |
Making his comeback on a big league-mound was righthander Orlando Yntema.
After being sidelined with an injury for two years, Yntema was the starter last Sunday for Neptunus in the home-game against RCH.
Yntema then threw the first inning (19 pitches) in what was his first appearance since June 5, 2021 when he was the starter against Amsterdam Pirates and threw 3 1/3 inning.
Although Yntema is scheduled to pitch again in the upcoming series against HCAW, he is not announced in the starting rotation.
When the righthander recovers well from his first outing in two years, he might be the stater again on Sunday to be followed by Kevin Kelly, who is now the announced starter for the third game of the series.
Also making his comeback in the highest league was Swen Huijer, as he pitched the final three innings on Saturday for Hoofddorp Pioniers.
The former pro last pitched in the big league in 2018 when he also made one appearance for Pioniers.
Before that, he was a regular pitcher for the Hoofddorp-team in 2015.
In following years, Huijer continued his pitching career in the second team of the club for whom he also plays this season.
Also pitching for the first time this season for Pioniers was Luca van Gorkum, who threw 1/3 inning in Sunday's game (four walks, one run).
Van Gorkum started the season with Amsterdam Pirates for whom he played in sixteen games, including two as a pitcher.
Van Gorkum, who was not on the Pirates European Cup-roster, recently transfered to Pioniers.
Pioniers was swept in three games by Twins Oosterhout, which leads the Bottom-5 Pool with a 5-1 record.
DSS/Kinheim played its first games in this Pool and swept UVV, including two shutouts.
In the upcoming series, UVV has no games scheduled.
Beneath are the announced starting pitchers for the upcoming 3-game series that opens on Thursday-evening, June 22.
As always, these assignments can change on game-days.
(June 21)
Rosters
Live play-by-play & live-streams
| TOP-4 POOL |
| Roster | CURAÇAO NEPTUNUS (3-0) (20-3-1) | vs. |
HCAW (2-1) (20-3-1) | Roster | Game-info |
| # | Starting Pitchers Neptunus | G | # | Starting Pitchers HCAW |
| Date, Time & Site |
| 37 | RHP Tom de Blok (5-0) | 1 | 16 | RHP Kaj Timmermans (4-0) | Th. June 22, 7:30 PM, Rotterdam (1) |
| 39 | RHP Shairon Martis (5-0) | 2 | 7 | RHP Dennis Burgersdijk (6-1) | Sa. June 24, 2:00 PM, Bussum (2) |
| 33 | RHP Kevin Kelly (8-1) | 3 | 72 | RHP Nathan Diaby (1-0) | Su. June 25, 2:00 PM, Bussum (2) |
| (1) - Neptunus Familiestadion, Sportpark Abraham van Stolkweg, Rotterdam; (2) - Rob Hoffmann Vallei, Sportpark 'De Sportvallei', Bussum |
| TOP-4 POOL |
| Roster | RCH MEMORIE SIERADEN (0-3) (12-11-1) | vs. |
AMSTERDAM PIRATES (1-2) (16-7-1) | Roster | Game-info |
| # | Starting Pitchers RCH-Pinguïns | G | # | Starting Pitchers Pirates |
| Date, Time & Site |
35
44 | RHP Mike van den Berg (0-1) or
RHP Jan-Willem Geerts (1-1) | 1 | 32 | RHP Scott Prins (1-1) | Th. June 22, 7:30 PM, Heemstede (3) |
| 5 | RHP Jeremy Young (3-6) | 2 | 34 | RHP Sven van de Sanden (3-1) | Sa. June 24, 2:00 PM, Amsterdam (4) |
| 29 | RHP T'sean Martina (2-5) | 3 | 66 | RHP Naut Kragt (1-0) | Su. June 25, 2:00 PM, Heemstede (3) |
| (3) - Heemsteedse Sportparken, Heemstede; (4) - Loek Loevendie Ballpark, Sportpark 'Ookmeer', Amsterdam |
| BOTTOM-5 POOL |
| Roster | DSS/KINHEIM (3-0) (10-14) | vs. |
TWINS OOSTERHOUT (5-1) (12-11-1) | Roster | Game-info |
| # | Starting Pitchers DSS/Kinheim | G | # | Starting Pitchers Twins |
| Date, Time & Site |
| 3 | RHP Martijn Schoonderwoerd (5-2) | 1 | 26 | LHP Terrence Garcia (4-1) | Th. June 22, 7:30 PM, Haarlem (5) |
| 27 | RHP Nick Boxelaar (3-5) | 2 | | to be decided | Sa. June 24, 2:00 PM, Oosterhout (6) |
| 17 | LHP Rick Rizvić (3-1) | 3 | | to be decided | Su. June 25, 2:00 PM, Haarlem (5) |
| (5) - Pim Mulier Stadion, Pim Mulier Sportpark, Haarlem; (6) - Sportpark 'De Slotbosse Toren', Oosterhout |
| BOTTOM-5 POOL |
| Roster | HOOFDDORP PIONIERS (1-5) (6-17-1) | vs. |
QUICK AMERSFOORT (1-2) (5-19) | Roster | Game-info |
| # | Starting Pitchers Pioniers | G | # | Starting Pitchers Quick |
| Date, Time & Site |
| 18 | RHP Sem Lauf (2-5) | 1 | 15 | RHP Jack Wagner (2-5) | Th. June 22, 7:30 PM, Hoofddorp (7) |
| | to be decided | 2 | | to be decided | Sa. June 24, 2:00 PM, Amersfoort (8) |
| | to be decided | 3 | | to be decided | Su. June 25, 2:00 PM, Hoofddorp (7) |
| (7) - ETO Ballpark, Sportpark Hoofddorp Pionier, Park21, Hoofddorp; (8) - XL Lease Park 'Dorrestein', Amersfoort |
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