Grand Slam
Baseball Recaps
August 5, 2006
Compiled and Copyright © 1997-2006 by Marco Stoovelaar

Saturday, August 5
Pioniers shuts out Pirates
HCAW wins in eleventh inning
Kinheim too strong for Neptunus
Almere wins on 9th inning homerun



Pioniers shuts out Pirates
Nederlands | Line Score | Box Score | Pioniers' previous game | Pirates' previous game
Standings | Schedule | All Line Scores & Box Scores
HOOFDDORP (Neth.) - Konica Minolta Pioniers on Saturday-afternoon scored four runs in the first inning and that was enought to decide the game against Amsterdam Pirates, which was shutout 6-0.

In the first inning, Pioniers had only one basehit, but scored four runs, as Pirates-starter Robert van der Pol had problems finding the strike zone. He hit the first two batters he faced with a pitch, then walked the third one to get into a jam right away. Dè Flanegin followed with a sac-fly and the first run was born. An error and a fielder's choice grounder produced two more runs, then the first hit of the game, off the bat of Lars Koehorst, enabled Mark Duursma to increase the lead to 4-0.

Van der Pol issued two more walks in the second inning, but then was assisted by a double play to get out of the inning. However, in the third at bat, he again walked two batters, the first two he faced, and was relieved by Bobbie van Duuren. With Mark Duursma and Norbert Lokhorst on base, an infield-fly and a force out followed, but the lead runner scored when Jefferson Muzo reached on an infield-hit.
Van Duuren saw the bases getting loaded in the fourth inning, but Pirates then turned its second double play of the afternoon to get out of the inning. Pioniers added its sixth run in the fifth when Pirates committed two of its five errors.

Pirates outhit Pioniers 9-8, but their basehits were less effective, as Pioniers turned four double plays.
Pionier-starter Roger Kops threw seven solid inning, struckout four and walked none to earn the victory.
(August 5)



HCAW wins in eleventh inning
Nederlands | Line Score | Box Score | HCAW's previous game | Sparta/Feyenoord's previous game
Standings | Schedule | All Line Scores & Box Scores
BUSSUM (Neth.) - Mr. Cocker HCAW experienced a narrow escape against Sparta/Feyenoord on Saturday-afternoon and won 6-5 in eleven innings. HCAW failed to hold onto an early 3-1 lead, saw Sparta/Feyenoord come alongside twice and then take the lead in the eleventh inning, before scoring two runs themselves in the home half to win the game.

Sparta/Feyenoord opened the score in the first inning when Nick Eppinga reached second base on a throwing error, advanced on a single by Sjoerd Hermans and scored on a passed ball. HCAW tied the score in the home first. Gino Henson led off with a single, moved to third base on a failed pick-off and scored on a grounder by Sidney de Jong. HCAW then added two runs in the second inning. With one out, Martijn Meeuwis reached on an error and Nick Makkinje singled, then scored when Rodney Michel (single) and Dimitri Leon (double) followed with RBI-basehits. Next, Michel as thrown out at home on a grounder by Gino Henson, who himself ended up in a double play when he tried to advance to second base.
HCAW-starter Nick Stuifbergen then threw two scoreless innings, but gave up a run in the fourth at bat when Jeffrey Sprott doubled with one out and scored on a force play-grounder by Orson Slaats. Two innings later, Sparta/Feyenoord tied the score. Rutger Veugelers led off the sixth inning with a single and went on to score on another force play-grounder by Orson Slaats, who later would score twice himself.

HCAW failed to increase its lead in the third, fourth and fifth inning, leaving three runners, but then re-took the lead in the sixth after a squeeze failed. Ralph Milliard led off with an infield-hit and advanced to third on a double by Martijn Meeuwis. With Nick Makkinje hitting, the squeeze sign was put on. However, Makkinje missed the ball and Milliard, who ran towards home, was tagged out. Meeuwis moved to third on the play, then scored moments later when Makkinje hit a sac-fly.
In the seventh and eighth inning, HCAW was close to another run, but left two runners in scoring position, then saw Sparta/Feyenoord come alongside again in the ninth inning. Orson Slaats led off with a double off Kenny Berkenbosch, who had taken over for Nick Stuifbergen the inning before. With one out, Slaats scored the tying run on a single by Earmy Isabella. Again, HCAW got the chance to decide the game when it got the bases loaded with only one out in the home ninth, but then Bas de Jong grounded into an inning-ending 5-2-3 double play.

After HCAW left two more runners in scoring position in the tenth inning, Sparta/Feyenoord took a 5-4 lead in the eleventh. This time, Orson Slaats led off with a triple and again scored on an one-out single by Earmy Isabella.
Now, Sparta/Feyenoord failed to hold onto its lead. With one out, Ronald Jaarsma doubled, then Sidney de Jong was walked intentionally. Rudy Seebus, who became Sparta/Feyenoord's second pitcher in the game in the seventh inning, was then relieved by Sander Klop, who enabled the two runners to advance with a wild pitch. To set-up another force play, Bas de Jong was also walked intentionally, but then things went wrong for the Rotterdam-team. Ralph Milliard followed with an infield-hit on which Jaarsma scored the tying run. This was Milliard's fourth hit in his last four at bats, as he was 4-for-6 in the game. Next, Martijn Meeuwis grounded to second baseman Sjoerd Hermans, who forced Sidney de Jong at home for the second out in the inning. But then Sander Klop walked next batter Juriën Overman with the bases loaded to bring in Bas de Jong with the winning run.
(August 5)



Kinheim too strong for Neptunus
Nederlands | Line Score | Box Score | Neptunus' previous game | Kinheim's previous game
Standings | Schedule | All Line Scores & Box Scores
ROTTERDAM (Neth.) - Corendon Kinheim on Saturday-evening strenghtened its leaders position by winning 9-3 vs. DOOR Neptunus, which played weak defensively. While this was a game between the current first and second placed teams, only a few spectators opted to come to the Neptunus Familystadium.

Neptunus had to do tonight without OF Johnny Balentina, OF Jurriaan Korff and 1B Jeffrey Arends. The first two were suspended for one game, Arends was in Italy for the Major League European Academy. LHP Diegomar Markwell also was suspended for one game, but he would now start on Sunday instead of today. Besides that, Catcher Sape Wagenaar is injured, but already is out for a few weeks. It was initially expected that 2B Benjamin Dille also was unable to play tonight, as he participated with the national team of Belgium in the European Championships Qualifier. But Belgium was eliminated for the final (which was scheduled for Saturday-evening) and now played in the afternoon for third place, making Dille eligible to play in the evening for Neptunus. Two players were recalled from DOOR Tridens (Neptunus' second team), Andy Leer and Edison Bito, who filled in and made their big league-debut. Kinheim played its first of six games without its powerhitting rightfielder Dirk van 't Klooster, who has to sit out a suspension.

Not the necessary changes in the line-up hurt Neptunus, it was the pitching. Talented starter Kevin Heijstek faced only six batters in the first inning, walked three batters, gave up three hits and was credited with five earned runs. Neptunus never recovered.
In the first inning, Danny Rombley led off with a walk and advanced to third on a single by René Cremer, who moved to second base on a throwing error by centerfielder Andy Leer. The bases were loaded when Kevin Heijstek also walked Quincy Bernardus. Next, Tjerk Smeets also walked to give Kinheim a 1-0 lead. Singles by Edward Illidge and Roel Koolen increased the lead to 3-0 and marked the end for Heijstek. Gregory Gustina took over, saw Robin Longhurst flyout, but then gave up a 2-run single to Wouter Heemskerk, which landed inches from the rightfield-foulline. The inning ended when Denny Beljaards, the ninth batter in the inning, grounded into a double play.

Neptunus reacted with one run in the home first. With one out, Benjamin Dille singled and went on to score on a 2-out single by Lennart Koster, but the team left the bases loaded when Melfried Comenencia struckout.
Kinheim added two runs in the second at bat. Danny Rombley singled and stole second base, then René Cremer also singled. A pick-off to first base resulted in a rundown and an error by short stop Raily Legito, enabling Rombley to score. With one out, Tjerk Smeets also singled, before Edward Illidge appeared to ground into an inning-ending double play, but first baseman Evert-Jan 't Hoen missed the ball and another run was scored.

Gregory Gustina then silenced Kinheim in the next four innings. The lefthander allowed one batter to reach base between the third and sixth inning, before being relieved, but two relievers then gave up two additional runs. In the eighth inning, Leon de Bijl walked Wouter Heemskerk and Denny Beljaards, who advanced after a double-steal. Heemskerk then scored on a wild pitch. In the ninth inning, Wouter Lensselink gave up a lead-off single to Quincy Bernardus, who scored on an one-out double by Edward Illidge, who himself reached third base when 3B Jeroen Sluijter missed the relay-throw from centerfield.
Kinheim-starter David Bergman threw seven solid innings in which he struckout six batters and gave up only five basehits. The righthander raised his record to 9-1. In the third inning, he gave up a lead-off single to Benjamin Dille, who later stranded on third base when a double play ended the at bat. Between the third and seventh inning, Bergman retired 12 batters in a row and 14 of the 15 he faced in that span. In the eighth inning, Duko Jansen took over, retired the side in the eighth, but gave up two runs in the ninth. With one out and Lennart Koster (fielder's choice) on base, Jansen gave up a double to Evert-Jan 't Hoen, then a 2-run single with two outs to Edison Bito, his first big league-basehit.
(August 5)



Almere wins on 9th inning homerun
Nederlands | Line Score | Box Score | Almere's previous game | ADO's previous game
Standings | Schedule | All Line Scores & Box Scores
ALMERE (Neth.) - One mistake, one swing, one run. That's the story of Saturday-evening's game between Instant Holland Almere '90 vs. ADO, which was decided on an one-out homerun in the home of the ninth inning, giving Almere a 1-0 win.

ADO-starter Rob Cordemans dominated for eight innings. The righthander struckout eleven batters and gave up only two basehits. A one-out single to Eugene Kingsale in the third and a one-out single to Giovanni Samboe in the seventh inning. Of the first nine batters he faced, only one reached base (hit by pitch), while six struckout. In the eighth innings Cordemans pitched, Almere reached base seven times, but no one reached second base.
In the ninth inning, Robin van Doornspeek took over for Cordemans and started by striking out Randy Daal. But then a next delivery came somewhat too high in the strike zone and was hit well out of the ballpark by Ivanon Coffie for a walk-off, game-winning homerun.

Offensively, ADO reached base more frequently than Almere, but the team stranded nine runners, including five in scoring position. ADO could have taken an early lead when it got the bases loaded in the first inning with two outs, but failed to do so. With one out, Almere-starter Erik Remmerswaal walked Berry van Driel, then loaded the bases with two outs when he also walked James Rutherford and Maikel Benner. The inning ended when Michel Korzeniewski lined the ball back to Remmerswaal.
In the fourth, two runners reached base with two outs, but then Quensley Bazoer struckout. With this strikeout, Remmerswaal would retire eight batters in a row, before Remco Seitzinger (walk) and Quensley BazoerShurty Tremus grounded into a double play.

In the eighth, with a runner on first base, Remmerswaal was relieved by lefthanded Nick Veltkamp to face lefthanded Harvey Monte, who was called out. Next, veteran René Rijst took over, retired five of the six batters he faced and became the winning pitcher moments later.
(August 5)


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