 ROTTERDAM (Neth.) - After their exhibition opener was canceled yesterday, DOOR Neptunus and Sparta/Feyenoord opened their season today with a 9-inning game, which ended in a 10-10 tie.
After two innings of play, it appeared that Neptunus was en route to a big victory, as the team was leading 5-0. But Sparta/Feyenoord reacted with three runs, turned the game around in its favor with a 5-run rally and held an 8-6 lead after five innings. Neptunus came alongside, but then Sparta/Feyenoord broke the 8-8 tie in the eighth inning, only to see Neptunus tie the score again in the ninth.
Sparta/Feyenoord-starter Rudy Seebus retired the side in the first inning, but his successor Tim Roodenburg ran into problems in the second at bat. He walked four batters, gave up two hits and saw Neptunus score five runs.
Martijn Meeuwis led off with a double, then the bases were loaded when Jeffrey Arends and Rien Vernooij walked. Next month, Vernooij will start his professional career in the organization of the New York Mets.
The first run was then scored when next batter Eugene Kingsale also walked.
For Kingsale, it not only was his first game for Neptunus, but also his first since June last year, when he was injured and missed the remainder of the season, while playing for Instant Holland Almere '90.
Next, a run was scored after a passed ball, followed by an RBI-grounder by Jeroen Sluijter and another baseloading walk for Mike Bazuin.
A single by Andy Leer and an error on a force play-grounder by Benjamin Dille lifted the lead to 5-0.
Sparta/Feyenoord, which has a lot of newcomers on its roster this season, reacted with three runs in the third inning off Wouter Lensselink, who took over the pitching for starter Kevin Heystek.
Lead-off batter Roderick Simon, who last season played for Amsterdam Pirates walked, then a fly by Shaldimar Daantji was mishandled in centerfield, resulting in runners at second and third base.
The bases were loaded when former Mr. Cocker HCAW-utility Gino Henson reached on an infield-hit.
Next, Simon scored when Lensselink balked.
Harvey Monte (ex-ADO) then singled in another run, followed by a sacfrice fly by Rodney Michel to make it 5-3.
Neptunus got one run back in the fourth inning when Jeroen Sluijter led off with a single and scored on an error, but Sparta/Feyenoord rallied for five runs in the fifth inning to take an 8-6 lead.
Jurjen van Zijl, the third Neptunian pitcher, who faced only four batters the inning before, gave up five basehits in this at bat, resulting in five runs.
With one out, Shaldimar Daantji singled and Gino Henson doubled, then loaded the bases by walking Harvey Monte.
All three runners then scored when Rodney Michel hit a baseclearing double, which tied the score.
After a stikeout, Sparta/Feyenoord took the lead on back-to-back RBI-doubles by rookie Jonathan Kopra and Shurendell Borgschot.
Neptunus came alongside after scoring runs in the sixth and seventh inning.
In the sixth, Lennart Koster walked and scored on a single by b>Jeffrey Arends, in the seventh, Jeroen Sluijter singled and scored in a single by Andy Leer.
Sparta/Feyenoord re-took the lead in the eighth.
First, Edison Bito walked and scored on a double by Earmy Isabella, who then, after rookie Imco Rudolph walked, scored himself on a force play-grounder by Roderick Simon.
In the ninth inning, Neptunus came back again to tie the score.
Rookie Mourik Huyser was brought in as a pinch-hitter and singled in his first-ever at bat for the Neptunus-squad, then Jeroen Sluijter (who was 3-for-5) singled again.
With one out, the two scored on a double by Andy Leer, who also had three hits and batted in four runs.
(March 2)
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