(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Hoofddorp Pioniers)
 Hoofddorp Pioniers No-Hits UVV in big shutout
Nederlands
 VLEUTEN (Neth.) -
Two pitchers, both rookies, threw a Combined No-Hitter for Worldwide Pharma Logistics Hoofddorp Pioniers against UVV in a make-up game on Monday-evening (May 26).
It was a very lopsided game, as the visiting Pioniers not only held UVV hitless, but also recorded a huge 18-0 mercy-rule, 7-inning victory.
With the win, Pioniers extended its winning-streak to seven games, its longest since also winning seven in a row during the 2020 season.
The game was originally scheduled for last Sunday-afternoon, but then was cancelled due to rain in the preceeding night and field-conditions.
On Saturday-afternoon, the game scheduled to be played in Hoofddorp also rained out.
All four big league-games were cancelled then.
All four will be made up on Tuesday-evening.
...Noah Zavolas pitching for...
...Biloxi Shuckers in 2022...
(© Photo: Baseball-card 2022) |
Greek/American righthander Noah Zavolas, who joined Hoofddorp Pioniers in late April, started and threw six innings.
With Pioniers leading 18-0, Zavolas, despite throwing a No-Hitter, didn't return to the mound in the seventh inning, which would be the last at bat for UVV, unless it would score nine runs to erase the 10-run difference needed to end the game via the mercy-rule.
An additional mercy-rule was introduced this season, which states that a game can end as early as in the fifth when a team reaches a 15-run difference.
However, after five innings, Pioniers led 10-0 and after six innings, the score was 13-0.
In the seventh inning, Zavolas was relieved by Wesley Jansen, who pitched in the second team of Amsterdam Pirates last season.
But he also made his big league-debut, throwing one inning in one game, which was played on April 22, coincidentally against Pioniers.
After the season, Jansen, who still has a rookie-status, transfered to the Hoofddorp-team.
The lefthander is the son of former big league- and National Team-pitcher Eelco Jansen, who played in the highest league for Haarlem Nicols, Kinheim and Neptunus.
He also has been the Head Coach and Pitching Coach of Kinheim.
The past two seasons, Jansen was a Pitching Instructor at Pirates, where he also was a coach of the second team.
In 2005, Eelco Jansen was the Pitching Coach of Pirates, which then had an unique coaching-staff, as all members had participated in the Olympic Games.
The other members of that All-Olympian staff were Paul Nanne (Head Coach), Ronald Stoovelaar and Michael Crouwel.
Stoovelaar is the current Head Coach of the second team of Hoofddorp Pioniers, while Crouwel returned this season as an Assistant Coach at Kinheim.
Noah Zavolas struckout six and walked three in his six innings on the mound in what was his fourth appearance (all starts) of the season.
Wesley Jansen walked one batter in his lone inning.
After tonight, Zavolas is 3-0.
He had a no-decision in his debut.
Jansen threw in his ninth game, all as a reliever.
Pioniers opened the score with one run in the top of the first inning off of veteran righthander Jurjen van Zijl.
Pioniers scored the run on a 2-out single by Duncan Beljaards, but also left three runners behind.
From the third inning on, Pioniers scored at least three runs in all remaining at bats.
The team scored three runs in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth inning, then rallied for five more runs in the seventh.
In the third inning, Beljaards added a 2-run double.
In the fourth, Andreas Meijer delivered a 3-0 run double.
In the sixth, it was Kevin Wiegers, who hit a baseclearing 3-0 run double.
And in the seventh, Miquel Willem accounted for an offensive highlight with a 2-run single.
...Kevin Wiegers...
...4 runs, 4 RBI's...
...2 hits, double...
...2 stolen bases...
(© Hoofddorp Pioniers) |
Pioniers collected 17 basehits off of five pitchers, including three by Andreas Meijer (two doubles, three RBI's).
All nine Pioniers-players used in this game (no changes were made) recorded at least one basehit and scored one run.
Seven players had at least one RBI.
Kevin Wiegers led the offense.
He scored four runs, batted in four and also stole two bases, while collecting two hits, one of them a double.
Duncan Beljaards also batted in four runs, Michael Dumitrescu contributed with two doubles.
Trailing 1-0, UVV came close to the tying run in the bottom of the first inning.
Lead-off hitter Timothy Rojas reached on an error and stole second base.
He moved on an one-out grounder, but stranded on third base.
UVV got one more runner in scoring-position.
With two outs in the third, Jordy Burger walked and advanced on a wild pitch, but was left behind on second base.
In the fifth inning, Noah Zavolas was supported with a double play.
He then struckout the side in the sixth.
In the seventh Wesley Jansen began with a walk, but hereafter, the Pioniers-defense turned another double play.
A following grounder then ended the inning and the game.
Tonight's No-Hitter was the fourth big league No-Hitter for Hoofddorp Pioniers and the first in more than six years.
On April 26, 2019, Lars Huijer threw a 7-inning No-Hitter against Storks.
The first Pioniers No-Hitter was thrown by Mika de Lincel on June 3, 2012 in a 5-inning, rain-shortened game against HCAW.
On July 9, 2016, also against HCAW, Chris Pfau threw the lone 9-inning No-Hitter in Pioniers-history.
Eelco Jansen and Wesley Jansen become the first father-son combination to take part in a No-Hitter.
Jansen Sr. threw a 7-inning Perfect Game in 1997, then an 8-inning No-Hitter in 2002.
The 18-0 shutout is the biggest for Pioniers since the team won 16-0 on August, 2015 against HCAW.
The 18-run difference is the biggest recorded by Pioniers since April 30, 2022.
On that day, Pioniers also accomplished an 18-run difference in a 20-2 win against Storks.
Back then, it was the biggest run-difference for Pioniers in seven years after winniing winning with 17-run difference (19-2) against Neptunus in July 4, 2015.
During the 2013 season, Pioniers recorded its biggest difference and biggest shutout, a 27-0 win against ADO Lakers on August 10 of that year.
(May 26)
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