Netherlands vs. Puerto Rico
...Didi Gregorius (#18) is greeted by Juremi Profar after...
...hitting his second consecutive lead-off homerun...
(© Photo: World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC)) |
In Estadio Panamericano de Béisbol in Zapopan, the Netherlands Kingdom Team was productive from the beginning en route to the huge win against Puerto Rico.
The Orange-team scored twice in the first inning, then added fourteen runs in the next three at bats, which included 5-run rallies in the second and fourth inning.
The team led 17-3 after five innings.
Puerto Rico then scored five runs in the sixth and seventh inning combined, but could not avoid a mercy-rule loss, as the Netherlands added three more runs in the seventh.
The Netherlands collected 24 basehits off of five pitchers, including eleven extra-basehits, four of them a homerun.
Didi Gregorius and Juremi Profar both had four hits, Jonathan Schoop, Hendrik Clementina and Denzel Richardson all had three hits.
Clementina homered twice and batted in five runs.
Gregorius, Clementina and Dwayne Kemp scored three runs.
Eight of the nine starting players collected two or more basehits.
Ray-Patrick Didder was the lone starter who was hitless.
The top-three hitters in the batting order (Gregorius, Jonathan Schoop, Clementina) all had at least two runs scored, two basehits and two RBI's.
Sharlon Schoop had at least one of each.
Gregorius, Jonathan Schoop and Clementina accounted for ten of the 24 basehits, including three doubles and three homeruns.
They scored eleven runs and batted in twelve.
Gregorius was 4-for-6 with four runs scored and three RBI's.
Schoop batted 3-for-4, scored three runs and batted in four.
Clementina was 3-for-5, scored four runs and had five runs batted in.
With the 20-8 win, the Netherlands not only recorded the ninth victory against Puerto Rico, but also the largest ever since the two countries first met in 1956.
The Netherlands recorded two earlier wins against Puerto Rico with 10-plus runs.
The team won 10-0 in eight innings in 2005 during the World Championship in the Netherlands.
In 2015, there was an 11-7 win during the first edition of the Premier12.
The Netherlands set Premier12-records by scoring 20 runs and collecting 24 basehits.
The combined total of runs scored (28) and basehits (35) also are tournament-records.
The Orange Team immediately set the tone in the first inning.
For the second game in a row, Didi Gregorius led off with a homerun.
Two days ago, he homered on the first pitch he saw against the USA.
Today, Gregorius homered on the fifth delivery from Angel Miranda Veintidos.
The righthander recovered and struckout next batter Jonathan Schoop, but then also gave up a homerun to Hendrik Clementina.
...Ezequiel Pagán Rodriguez circles the bases after...
...hitting a lead-off homerun for Puerto Rico...
(© Photo: World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC)) |
Puerto Rico got one run back in its first at bat off of Tom de Blok, who arrived a few days ago.
The righthander gave up a homerun on his first pitch to Ezequiel Pagán Rodriguez, who plays professionally in the Minor Leagues since 2018.
This year, the 24-year old centerfielder played at three levels in the Chicago Cubs-organization, including 67 games in Double-A.
With that, this game had an unique beginning, as both teams opened with a lead-off homerun.
In the top of the second inning, the Netherlands struck with a 5-run rally off of four pitchers to take more distance.
With one out, Dwayne Kemp doubled and Delano Selassa walked, which led to the first pitching change.
Ojani Chacon took over from starter Angel Miranda Veintidos, but he was greeted with a runscoring single by Didi Gregorius, which brought in Kemp.
After the throw to the plate, Gregorius in a rundown between first and second base.
While that was going on, Selassa also scored and on the new throw to the plate, Gregorius safely reached second base.
Another pitching change followed and Ruben Ramirez Lugo took over.
He enabled Gregorius to advance to third base on a wild pitch, then walked both Jonathan Schoop and Hendrik Clementina to load the bases.
All runners advanced on another wild pitch, which led to a run.
Hereafter, Schoop scored on a fielder's choice-grounder by his brother Sharlon Schoop.
On this play, Clementina moved to third base and he scored on a following single by Juremi Profar.
That led to the next pitching change.
With runners on first and second base, José Figueroa Figueroa became the fourth Puerto Rican pitcher in this inning.
He got two flyouts, but the Netherlands had increased its lead to 7-1.
In the bottom of the second, Puerto Rico scored its second run via a homerun.
With one out, John Montes Torres homered off of De Blok.
He then gave up a single to Juan Centeno Aponte, but a double play ended the inning.
In the top of the third innning, the Kingdom-team rallied for four more runs to raise the lead to a comfortable 11-2 score.
In the inning, Dwayne Kemp led off with a walk and Delano Selassa followed with a double.
With one out, Jonathan Schoop and Hendrik Clementina delivered a runscoring single and double respectively to bring in Kemp and Selassa.
As Clementina's double was followed by a throwing error, Schoop also was able to score.
Hereafter, Sharlon Schoop reached on an infield-hit, which led to an injury of short stop Randal Diaz Morales, who had to leave the game.
With runners at the corners, the fourth run in the at bat was scored on a sacrifice fly by Juremi Profar.
Denzel Richardson then singled and a wild pitch led to runners on second and third base, but they were left behind.
For Puerto Rico, the first two batters reached base in the bottom of the third, but a strikeout, flyout and force out followed.
With an 11-2 lead, the Netherlands rallied for five more runs in the top of the fourth.
That not only increased the lead to 16-2, but also made a come-from-behind win for Puerto Rico as good as unreachable.
Besides that, it was clear that the Netherlands was en route to a big win in this slugfest.
In the fourth, Andres Santiago Rondon became the fifth pitcher for Puerto Rico and also the entire outfield changed.
Santiago would complete the game, but would give up 13 basehits and nine more runs in the four innings he was on the mound.
...Hendrik Clementina homered twice...
...He also scored 4 runs and had 5 RBI's...
(© Photo: World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC)) |
Santiago hit lead-off hitter Dwayne Kemp with his first pitch, then gave up a single to Delano Selassa and an RBI-single to Didi Gregorius.
Jonathan Schoop followed with a 2-run double.
With one out, Sharlon Schoop hit a 2-run homerun and that lifted the lead to 16-2.
In the fifth inning, another Orange-run was added.
Dwayne Kemp led off with his second double and scored on a 2-out double by Jonathan Schoop, which also was his second.
In the bottom of the fifth, Puerto Rico managed to score again off of Tom de Blok, who returned to the mound for his fifth inning.
De Blok walked lead-off hitter Luis Hernandez, then gave up an infield-hit to Javier Vaz.
With two outs, Hernandez scored on a single by Shawn Ross Tarabochie.
Although getting on base again in the sixth inning, this was the lone at bat in which the Netherlands was kept scoreless.
With one out, Juremi Profar doubled and Denzel Richardson reached on an infield-hit, but the inning ended when Ray-Patrick Didder grounded into an inning-ending double play.
With the Netherlands leading 17-3, Ryan Huntington took over the Orange-pitching.
Puerto Rico then almost erased the 10-run difference by scoring three runs.
Besides a new pitcher, Manager Evert-Jan 't Hoen also inserted a new second baseman, third baseman and leftfielder.
Huntington hit lead-off hitter John Montes Torres with his first pitch and then gave up a ground-rule double to Victor Torres Murillo.
The lefthander followed with a strikeout, then got a flyout.
The inning appeared to end on a grounder by Javier Vaz, but new second baseman Dayson Croes made a throwing error, which led to two runs.
Hereafter, Vaz scored himself on a single by Edrick Felix Morales.
The Orange-squad immediately got the three runs back in the top of the seventh to make it a 20-6 lead.
With two outs, Didi Gregorius singled.
He advanced when pitcher Andres Santiago Rondon made a throwing error on a comeback-grounder by Stijn van der Meer, who had entered the game as new third baseman in the previous inning.
Gregorius and Van der Meer both scored when Hendrik Clementina followed with his second homerun in the game.
Hereafter, Dayson Croes and Juremi Profar both singled, but were left behind.
With the three runs, the Netherlands added some insurance runs.
The runs secure the mercy-rule lead, as Puerto Rico scored twice in the bottom of the seventh off of new pitcher Franklin Van Gurp.
He walked lead-off hitter Shawn Ross Tarabochie, then retired the next two batters.
But thereafter gave up a single to Victor Torres Murillo, which was followed by a 2-run double by Yadiel Rivera Torres.
And that narrowed the lead to 20-8.
A grounder ended the inning and the game.
With that, it underscored that the extra runs scored in the top of the seventh, proved to be important in order to finish the game via the mercy-rule.
A game in which the Netherlands set Premier12-records with 20 runs scored and 24 basehits.
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...Left: Jonathan Schoop (#6) and Dwayne Kemp (#7) act as umpire, but it is South Korean Home Plate Umpire...
...Gye-sung Lee who calls Delano Selassa safe after scoring in the 1st inning, looking on at right is catcher Juan Centeno Aponte...
...Right: Tom de Blok was the winning pitcher for the Netherlands...
(© Both Photos: World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC)) |
Playing for the Netherlands in this game were:
Didi Gregorius (SS, 4-for-4, 4 runs, 3 RBIs, homerun), Jonathan Schoop (2B, 3-for-4, 3 runs, 4 RBIs, 2 doubles, walk, strikeout), Stijn van der Meer (3B, 0-for-1, run), Hendrik Clementina (C, 3-for-3, 4 runs, 5 RBIs, double, 2 homeruns, walk, strikeout), Sharlon Schoop (3B, 2-for-5, run, 3 RBIs, homerun), Dayson Croes (2B, 1-for-1), Juremi Profar (1B, 4-for-5, 2 RBIs, double, sacrifice fly), Denzel Richardson (DH, 3-for-6), Ray-Patrick Didder (CF, 0-for-5, strikeout), Dwayne Kemp (LF, 2-for-2, 4 runs, 2 doubles, walk), Jair van Borkulo (LF, 0-for-1), Delano Selassa (RF, 2-for-4, 3 runs, double, walk) and pitchers Tom de Blok, Ryan Huntington and Franklin Van Gurp.
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Netherlands Team wins big in slugfest vs. Puerto Rico in third game Premier12
ZAPOPAN/GUADALAJARA, Jalisco / TEPIC, Nayarit (Mexico) -
The Netherlands Baseball Team recorded a huge 20-8 victory in seven innings against Puerto Rico in Zapopan on Tuesday (November 12) in its record-setting third game of the third edition of the Premier12.
The win came two days after the Orange-team itself was handed a big 12-2 mercy-rule loss by the USA on Sunday-afternoon.
The Netherlands Kingdom Team opened the global event on Saturday with a spectacular come-from-behind 9-8 victory in a 10-inning thriller against Panama.
Earlier today, the USA won 9-3 against Panama in Tepic.
Umpires: HP-Gye-sung Lee (South Korea), 1B-Omar Peralta Cardenas (Cuba),
Game 3 - Premier12 2024.