It didn't looked like this game would end via the mercy-rule, as Neptunus led 5-2 after six innings, meaning the team had to score at least seven more runs in the seventh.
But the team added only one run in the seventh.
However, the mercy-rule run-difference then was reached after all in the next at bat when Neptunus rallied for nine runs.
By the way, Neptunus trailed 1-0 after two innings and the score was tied after four innings.
After Neptunus had left two runners behind in the top of the first inning, Twins Oosterhout opened the score in its first at bat off of starter Kevin Kelly.
Marnix Ruben led off with a single and stole second base with one out, then third base with two outs.
Thereafter, he scored on a single by Axel Poesmans.
Neptunus again left two runners behind in the second inning, but then scored twice in the top of the third off of starter Terrence Garcia.
With one out, Neptunus got the bases loaded when John Polonius singled and both Dwayne Kemp and Arthur Bonevacia walked.
The tying run was then scored when next batter Christian Diaz singled.
Shortly thereafter, Neptunus took a 2-1 lead when Sheadion Jamanika also walked.
But with the bases still loaded, Garcia recovered and struckout Enrique Hatma and Rayshelon Carolina.
In the top of the fourth, Neptunus faced new pitcher Jeffrey Levenstone, but again, two runners were left behind.
Stijn van der Meer (lead-off) and John Polonius (with one out) both singled, but then stranded.
In the bottom of the fourth, Twins Oosterhout came alongside.
Axel Poesmans led off with a double, advanced to third base on a grounder by Railison Bentura and scored on a grounder by Jerzy van Gool.
Neptunus broke the 2-2 tie in the fifth inning by scoring twice and from now on, the team kept on adding more runs.
With one out, the bases got loaded via Sheadion Jamanika (bunt-single), Enrique Hatma (single) and Rayshelon Carolina (walk).
Stijn van der Meer followed with a runscoring single.
Hatma then scored the next run while Van der Meer was forced out on a grounder by Roger Bernadina.
But two more runners were left behind.
After Twins had stranded a runner on second base in the bottom of the fifth, Neptunus scored another run in the sixth.
Dwayne Kemp then reached second base on an error, moved to third base on a sacrifice bunt by Christian Diaz and scored on a sacrifice fly by Sheadion Jamanika.
With Neptunus now leading 5-2, Kevin Kelly retired the side for the second time in the bottom of the sixth.
This time, the righthander struckout all three batters he faced.
In the top of the seventh, Neptunus scored its sixth run off of new pitcher Jan van den Hurk.
But the team also lost veteran-outfielder Roger Bernadina.
Van den Hurk walked lead-off hitter Rayshelon Carolina, who then stole second base and advanced on a grounder by Stijn van der Meer.
With Carolina at third base, Roger Bernadina was the next batter for Neptunus.
While walking to the batter's box, the lefthanded hitter appeared to hobble somewhat and limp with his right leg.
After the first delivery of Van den Hurk was a ball, Bernadina stretched somewhat, stepped outside the box, then back in.
He then fouled off the next pitch, then walked in a circle around the catcher's area.
While Van den Hurk returned to the mound, he stepped off again, as Bernadina still was outside the batter's box, stretched again and then crouched.
Home Plate Umpire Bernard Flohr signaled to the Neptunus dug-out and Bernadina got a visit from Head Coach Greg Muller.
After a brief talk, Bernadina stepped back into the batter's box and took a strike from Van den Hurk.
The next delivery from the righthander ended in the ground for a wild pitch that enaled Carolina to score.
With a 2-2 count, Bernadina grounded out to third.
Now with two outs, John Polonius and Dwayne Kemp both singled, but they were left behind on first and third base.
When Neptunus took the field for the bottom of the seventh, Bernadina stayed behind in the dug-out and didn't return to his position in rightfield.
And so, a series of defensive changes followed.
Third baseman Stijn van der Meer moved to rightfield, while first baseman Sheadion Jamanika took over third base.
Arthur Bonevacia, who was the designated hitter, became the new first baseman.
With that, Neptunus lost its DH, meaning pitcher Kevin Kelly entered the batting order as the replacement of Bernadina.
Kelly retired the side again in the bottom of the seventh in which he struckout his eleventh batter to reach a career-high.
In the top of the eighth, Neptunus staged a 9-run rally off of new pitcher Jairo Samboe, who would pitch the entire inning.
He got the bases loaded quickly.
After giving up a lead-offf single to Christian Diaz, Samboe walked Sheadion Jamanika and Enrique Hatma.
He then hit Rayshelon Carolina with a pitch, which led to the first run in this at bat.
With one out, Kevin Kelly's spot in the batting order came up, but Louie-Jay Sienders then entered as pinch-hitter.
During his at bat, Jamanika scored on a passed ball.
Sienders became the second out via an infield-fly.
But thereafter, Neptunus would add seven more runs.
With two outs, John Polonius connected for a 2-run double, then Dwayne Kemp followed with a 2-run homerun.
Next batter Arthur Bonevacia reached on an error and Christian Diaz walked.
Both scored when two following grounders by Sheadion Jamanika and Enrique Hatma also ended in errors.
Neptunus got the bases loaded when Rayshelon Carolina walked and a following single by Stijn van der Meer brought in the ninth run in this at bat.
The long at bat ended when Sienders flied out in his second at bat as pinch-hitter.
Jayden Gonesh then pitched the bottom of the eighth for Neptunus and gave up the third Twins-run.
He walked lead-off hitter Matthew Joossens, who advanced on a wild pitch and reached third base on a single by Marnix Ruben.
Joossens scored on a force play-grounder by Gijs van Zalingen.
A strikeout and force play then ended the at bat.
And that also ended the game, as Neptunus had a mercy-rule lead.
Afterwards, it was not immediately known whether or not Bernadina had sustained an injury
However, it appeared that he was bothered by some back-stiffness.
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Neptunus wins big in third game against Twins Oosterhout
OOSTERHOUT (Neth.) -
Curaçao Neptunus closed the 3-game series against Twins Oosterhout on Sunday (April 30) with a 15-3 mercy-rule win in eight innings.
Neptunus opened the series on Wednesday-evening with a 10-0 shutout-win in seven innings.
On Saturday, the 10-game winning streak of Neptunus ended, as the second game against Twins ended in a 3-3 tie after twelve innings.
The 15-3 appears to be convincing, but Neptunus led only 6-2 after seven innings.
The team then rallied for nine runs in the eighth to reach a mercy-rule run-difference.
With that, Neptunus didn't play a 'normal' 9-inning game for the fifth time in a row.
That peculiar streak began on Sunday, April 23 when the team recorded a mercy-rule 6½ inning win against Hoofddorp Pioniers.
Thereafter, Neptunus won in eight innings against Pioniers in a make-up game that ended due to the 10:30 PM curfew-rule.
Since last Wednesday, all three games against Twins also didn't have a 9-inning ending.
As mentioned above, the opener was a mercy-rule, 7-inning game, then on Saturday, the 12-inning extra inning game followed.
And today, it was an 8-inning game.