(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
 Hoofddorp Pioniers defeats Quick Amersfoort; Brabant Cup rains out
Nederlands
  AMERSFOORT / OOSTERHOUT (Neth.) -
Hoofddorp Pioniers recorded a 12-9 victory against Quick Amersfoort on a chilly Saturday-afternoon (March 23).
In Oosterhout, all three games scheduled to be played in the Brabant Cup were cancelled due to the condition of the playing-field of host Oosterhout Twins, as a result of rain earlier in the morning.
Twins Head Coach Rob Hendriks assisted the groundscrew for some hours to prepare the field, as it was hoped to start the games somewhat later.
However, moments after the field appeared to be playable again, another hail/rain-shower blanked the field again.
As a result, it could not be prepared again and the games were cancelled.
Because of this, the lone Brabant Cup-game scheduled for Sunday, which was the Final, also was cancelled.
Instead, Oosterhout Twins now tentatively has scheduled a double-header against its second team.
It will be decided early Sunday-morning whether these games be played, which depends on the condition of the field.
The Brabant Cup was one of three tournaments to begin today with the participation of big league-teams.
The others are the Ringvaart Tournament in Heemstede and the Frans van Elst Tournament in Vleuten.
Despite some brief showers and chilly conditions, all games of these tournaments could be played as scheduled.
The name Brabant Cup is somewhat confusing, as Rosmalen-based Gryphons also organizes a tournament annually under the same name for baseball and softball.
However, this years edition was cancelled.
In Amersfoort, Quick Amersfoort hosted Hoofddorp Pioniers.
The teams will meet again on Sunday, but then in Hoofddorp.
Although it also was chilly sometimes in Amersfoort, Pioniers Head Coach Tom van Limburg stated that the conditions were fine to play.
,,The field was a little bit wet, but it was prepared well and good to play on'', Van Limburg added.
Pioniers opened the score with two runs in the first inning off of starter Jhan Rifaela, who threw five innings.
Quick came alongside by scoring a run in the second and third inning off of Pioniers-starter Arjen Nijkamp, who threw three innings.
Pioniers re-took the lead in the top of the fourth inning off of Rifaela, who was relieved by Jay van Horik in the top of the sixth.
Again, Quick was able to come back and tie the score off of Nijkamp's successor Ryan Hoogendoorn in the sixth.
Hoogendoorn also pitched three innings.
In the seventh and eighth inning, Pioniers was very productive and took more distance by adding eight more runs off of relievers Jairo Samboe and Faisel Oduna.
Trailing 12-4, Quick managed to narrow the deficit to 12-9 via a 5-run rally in the eighth off of Jesse van Es, the third and final pitcher in this game for Pioniers.
Pioniers collected several basehits today, including two by Terrance Heemskerk and Luca van Gorkum.
Van Limburg: ,,I'm very satisfied with what I saw today from the team.
Everyone had good at bats and I think all players got a hit''.
(March 23)
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