(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Henk Seppen)
        Curaçao suffers second loss in Caribbean Series
Nederlands
 MIAMI, Florida (USA) -
Curaçao Suns lost its second game of the 66th edition of the Caribbean Series (Serie del Caribe) on Saturday (February 3).
On Day 3 of the annual event, Curaçao lost 4-2 against Tiburones de La Guaira, the champion of the Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional.
Curaçao had opened the annual event on Thursday with a 6-5 win against Naranjeros de Hermosillo from Mexico.
On Friday, the team lost 7-3 against Federales de Chiriquí from Panamá.
Curaçao has no game scheduled on Sunday.
This year, the annual event is played in Miami, Florida (USA), where all games are played in LoanDepot Park, the home of Miami Marlins.
Seven teams participate in this years tournament, who all are the champions of their respective professional leagues: Criollos de Caguas (Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente, Puerto Rico), Curaçao Suns (Curaçao Professional Baseball), Federales de Chiriquí (Liga Profesional de Béisbol de Panamá), Gigantes de Rivas (Liga de Béisbol Profesional de Nicaragua), Naranjeros de Hermosillo (Liga Mexicana del Pacifico, Mexico), Tiburones de La Guaira (Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional, Venezuela) and Tigres del Licey (Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana, Dominican Republic).
On Saturday-afternoon, Curaçao faced an early 4-1 deficit halfway the third inning and was unable to come back and turn the game around.
...Scott Prins pitching for Amsterdam Pirates...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
The Venezuelan representative struck early in the top of the first inning off of starter Scott Prins.
Last year, the righthander captured the Dutch Championship-title with Amsterdam Pirates.
This year, Prins will mostly play for Ottawa Titans (for whom he signed in November) in the professional Frontier League, an Independent League with teams in both Canada and the USA.
At Ottawa, Prins will be a teammate of Sicnarf Loopstok, who also had been a teammate at Amsterdam Pirates.
Delano Selassa, infielder/outfielder of HCAW, also will play in this league for Québec Capitales, where he signed in October.
Both will remain eligible to play for Pirates and HCAW respectively in the first part of the Dutch big league-season, before their departure, as the Frontier League-season opens on May 9.
After completion of the season, Prins and Selassa can re-join Pirates and HCAW for the postseason.
Last year, the Frontier League's season ended halfway September.
Infielder Juremi Profar also will play in the Frontier League again this year.
He will play for Lake Erie Crushers to whom he was traded in November by Québec Capitales.
Last year, infielder Junior Martina and outfielder Jiandido Tromp also played in this league, but their contracts were not renewed.
In Curaçao's game on Saturday against the Venezuelans, Prins gave up a lead-off single to Alexi Amarista.
With one out, Prins gave up a homerun to Ramón Flores.
Hereafter, Prins struckout former Major Leaguers Yasiel Puig and Wilson Ramos, but Curaçao faced an early 2-0 deficit.
Curaçao got one run back in the second inning off of starter Luis Martinez.
He hit lead-off hitter Wladimir Balentien with a pitch and then enabled him to move to second base via a wild pitch.
Balentien then advanced to third base on a grounder by Ademar Rifaela and scored on a following grounder by Jonathan Schoop.
But Venezuela immediately answered with two more runs in the top of the third inning.
Prins walked lead-off hitter Ehire Adrianza, then gave up an one-out single to Wilfredo Tovar.
That ended the afternoon on the mound for Prins, who was relieved by Arlison Rodriguez.
He saw the two runners execute a double steal, then got the bases loaded when he walked Ramón Flores.
Hereafter, Rodriguez also walked Yasiel Puig, which led to a run.
Next, another run was scored on a force play-grounder by Wilson Ramos.
That was followed by another pitching-change, as Franklin Van Gurp took the mound with Venezuela now leading 4-1.
He uncorked a wild pitch, but Flores, who tried to score, was eliminated at the plate, which ended the at bat.
In the bottom of the third, Curaçao again cut the deficit in half.
Hendrik Clementina led off with a triple, then scored on a wild pitch.
With one out, Roger Bernadina and Jurickson Profar singled, but they were left behind.
And that also ended the scoring, as the next six innings remained scoreless.
Venezuela got only one more runner into scoring position in the fifth inning off of Van Gurp.
Relievers Wendell Floranus (6th), Nelmerson Angela (7th-8th) and Anthony Herrera (8th-9th) encountered no problems.
Curaçao was retired in order in the fourth and fifth inning, but got another scoring opportunity in the sixth off of new pitcher Angel Padron.
Jurickson Profar led off with a single and Didi Gregorius was then hit by a pitch.
However, the latter was eliminated when next batter Wladimir Balentien grounded into a double play.
With Profar on third base, Ademar Rifaela walked.
Jorgan Cavanerio then took over the pitching and closed by striking out Jonathan Schoop.
After the Venezuelan defense had turned another double play in the seventh, Curaçao got its final baserunner in the ninth.
Closer Arnaldo José Hernandez gave up a lead-off single to Wladimir Balentien.
His pinch-runner Edmond Americaan stranded on first base, as Hernandez retired the next three batters.
(February 3)
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