Grand Slam
Baseball Recaps
May 7, 2006
Compiled and Copyright © 1997-2006 by Marco Stoovelaar

Sunday, May 7
First loss for HCAW
ADO hands Pirates another loss
Sparta/Feyenoord remains winless
Almere shuts out Neptunus



First loss for HCAW
Nederlands | Line Score | Box Score | Pioniers' previous game | HCAW's previous game
Standings | Schedule | All Line Scores & Box Scores
HOOFDDORP (Neth.) - With a come-from-behind victory, Konica Minolta Pioniers handed league-leader Mr. Cocker HCAW its first loss of the season on Sunday. The team from Hoofddorp won 4-3 and scored the winning run in the ninth inning. With the loss, HCAW's winning streak of seven games, a club record for the start of a season, ended, but the team remained in first place.

500-Club (through Sunday, May 7)
GamesPlayerGamesPlayer
859Marcel Joost566Mike Crouwel
755Marlon Fluonia562John v.d. Mark
700Marcel Kruyt561Clive Mendes
692Jeffrey Cranston551Adonis Kemp
684René Rijst549Gerlach Halderman
679Jurjan Koenen527Edsel Martis
654Eric de Bruin526Dirk van 't Klooster
635Marcel Buurman521Erwin v.d. Berg
617Bob van Aalen517Gino Henson
591Lars Koehorst510Bart Volkerijk
585Johnny Balentina508Paul Smit
584Frank Bos500Ronald Stoovelaar
575Wim Martinus500Dè Flanegin
bold printed players are active
Copyright © 2006 Marco Stoovelaar / Grand Slam * Stats & News
Before the game, there was a ceremony in which two players of Pioniers were honored by both teams, as well as the Dutch Baseball Federation (KNBSB).
Today, Dè Flanegin became the 26th player in history who played his 500th game in the Dutch big league. Besides that, Flanegin became only the seventh player to have played all those games for one club. The others are John van der Mark (Sparta), Bart Volkerijk (ADO), Ronald Stoovelaar (Pirates), Bob van Aalen, Wim Martinus (both Neptunus) and Jurjan Koenen (HCAW).
Also honored was Lars Koehorst, who already had joined the exclusive 500 Club before, but wasn't honored yet.
The two players received a memorabilia and presents from Pioniers' recently named Chairman Cees Groot, as well as from Ron Jaarsma, the Sponsor and General Manager of HCAW, where Koehorst had played 13 of his 16 big league-seasons. In 1991, Koehorst made his big league-debut while playing for Pioniers, but then moved to HCAW the next season. Flanegin joined Pioniers in 1992 and made his big league-debut with them in 1993.
The ceremony was concluded by Jan Rijpstra, the President of the Royal Dutch Baseball and Softball Association, who handed the two players a decoration for reaching this milestone in their career.


...Cees Groot, Ron Jaarsma and Jan Rijpstra...
...addressed the milestone-players before the game...
(Photo: Marco Stoovelaar)
After the game started 17 minutes later than scheduled, because of the ceremony, HCAW initially appeared to be en route to its eighth consecutive victory. In the first inning, the Bussum-club scored twice as Pionier-starter Richard Orman ran into some early problems. Ronald Jaarsma led off the game with an infield-hit, then Martijn Meeuwis also singled. The bases were loaded when Orman walked Bart Gabriëls. Next batter Sidney de Jong, who was the leading hitter in the league before the weekend, grounded into a double play, but Jaarsma scored the first run on the play. Orman then again issued a walk, this time to Kenny Berkenbosch, which was followed by an RBI-single by Bas de Jong, which made it 2-0. Orman then ended the at bat with a strikeout and recovered from that moment on. In the next six innings, only four batters would reach base and the lefthander retired 12 of the 13 batters between the third and seventh inning, including the last nine in a row.

HCAW-starter Cliff Foster, who had pitched the last 2/3 inning yesterday to earn a save in the four hours-plus, 19-17 victory at Bussum, also pitched well. The American righthander retired the first eight batters he faced, including four with a strikeout, before walking Jefferson Muzo with two outs in the third, but he was then picked off. In the fourth, Foster gave up an one-out single to Edwin de Graaf. Mark Duursma followed with another single, but then Dè Flanegin grounded into a double play in which De Graaf was eliminated at third. That play resulted in a somewhat heated moment, as players came onto the field, because De Graaf had made a hard slide towards third baseman Bart Gabriëls. Nothing happened, as the coaches of both teams send their players back to the dug-outs.


...Lars Koehorst (left) and Dè Flanegin are...
...decorated by KNBSB-President Jan Rijpstra...
(Photo: Marco Stoovelaar)

...Lars Koehorst and Dè Flanegin and their...
...family listen to the speeches...
(Photo: Marco Stoovelaar)
Pioniers came alongside in the sixth inning. Cliff Foster walked lead-off hitter Jefferson Muzo, who then stole second base. After a strikeout, Muzo scored on a double by Edwin de Graaf. Another strikeout followed, but then Foster hit Dè Flanegin with a pitch, before giving an RBI-single to Glennsig Polonius that tied the score.
In the next at bat, Pioniers took a 3-2 lead. With one out, Foster this time hit Lars Koehorst with a pitch and was relieved by Jurjen van Zijl. Koehorst advanced on a sac-bunt, then scored when Van Zijl gave up an RBI-single to Michael Duursma. After next batter Edwin de Graaf also singled, Van Zijl was relieved by Kenny Berkenbosch, who made his first pitching-appearance of the season and his first since the 2002 season. In between, he had played professionally in the USA in the Florida Marlins-organization, but was released earlier this year. The inning ended with a force play-grounder.

HCAW tied the score in the eighth inning. Leading 3-2, Pioniers' closer Dave Draijer took over in a save-situation, but was credited with a Blown Save instead, but went on to become the winning pitcher. He gave up a lead-off single to Ronald Jaarsma, who moved on a sac-bunt and an infield-hit, then scored on a force play-grounder by Sidney de Jong.
After leaving two runners in the eighth, Pioniers came back in the home ninth and decided the game. Jefferson Muzo led off with a single and advanced on a wild pitch. Michael Duursma then walked and the two runners moved on a sac-bunt by Edwin de Graaf. Kenny Berkenbosch loaded the bases and set up a force play by walking Mark Duursma intentionally. That seemed to work, as next batter Dè Flanegin grounded towards second for what appeared to be an inning-ending double play and force extra innings. Second baseman Martijn Meeuwis fielded the ball and threw it to short stop Dimitri Leon for the putout, but there Leon dropped the ball, enabling Muzo to score the winning run.
(May 7)



ADO hands Pirates another loss
Nederlands | Line Score | Box Score | Pirates' previous game | ADO's previous game
Standings | Schedule | All Line Scores & Box Scores
AMSTERDAM (Neth.) - Despite coming back to a 4-4 tie, Amsterdam Pirates lost its eighth consecutive game, as opponent ADO went on to win 8-4 on Sunday.

ADO appeared to decide the game with a 4-run rally in the third inning off starter Kevin Miner. The righthander walked Maikel Benner and Shurty Tremus, then a throwing error was made on a sac-bunt by Jermaine Esprit. This enabled Benner to score and put runners on second and third base. Berry van Driel then followed with an RBI-single. After two flyouts, Percy Isenia added a 2-run single to make it 4-0.
But Pirates then came back in the fourth and fifth inning. The team already had left a runner on third base in the first inning, but in these two innings, the scored was tied. In the fourth, Derick Francisca led off with a single, then ADO-starter Akira Okamoto walked Fausto Álvarez. With two outs, the two scored on a double by rookie Kevin Gerard, but then pinch-hitter Bas Nooij grounded out to end the inning.
In the fifth inning, Roderick Simon and Tyson Arishenkoff started with a single and the bases were loaded when Bobbie van Duuren was hit by a pitch. Derick Francisca followed with a force play-grounder that scored Simon. Next, Arishenkoff scored the tying run on a sac-fly by Fausto Álvarez, but the inning ended when Francisca was caught stealing.
Pirates was unable to add more runs in the game, as only one batter was able to reach base in the next four innings.

In the sixth inning, Percy Isenia led off for ADO with a single after which Kevin Miner was relieved by Pim Walsma, the starting and losing pitcher of yesterday's game. He was greeted with a double by >James Rutherford that gave ADO a 5-4 lead.
In the seventh, ADO added three more runs to make it 8-4. Walsma walked lead-off hitter Jermaine Esprit, then gave up a single to Berry van Driel. With one out, a sac-fly by Harvey Monte and a double by Percy Isenia (who went 3-for-4 and had three RBI's) raised ADO's lead to 7-4. Walsma was relieved by Robin Franken, who also was greeted with an RBI-double by James Rutherford. Franken then retired the next seven batters in a row, but the damage had been done.
(May 7)



Sparta/Feyenoord remains winless
Nederlands | Line Score | Box Score | Sparta/Feyenoord's previous game | Kinheim's previous game
Standings | Schedule | All Line Scores & Box Scores
ROTTERDAM (Neth.) - Corendon Kinheim trailed 1-0 on Sunday, but went on to win 6-2 vs. Sparta/Feyenoord, that remained winless and lost its eighth consecutive game.

Defensively, Sparta/Feyenoord played good game, turning four double plays, but it failed to hold onto an early lead and again was unable to score runs.
In the first inning, the Rotterdam-club took a 1-0 lead when lead-off hitter Ramphis Trinidad reached on an error, then scored on a 2-out single by Rutger Veugelers.
Kinheim answered with four runs in the next at bat. Sparta/Feyenoord-starter Daan Baecke walked the first three batters in this inning, then gave up a 2-run double to Wouter Heemskerk that gave Kinheim a 2-1 lead. Next, Floris Morang flied out and Roel Koolen tried to score, but was thrown out at the plate to complete a double play. Now with two outs, Baecke again issued two walks, before giving up a 2-run single to René Cremer that made it 4-1.
Sparta/Feyenoord managed to score a run in the third inning when Ramphis Trinidad again singled and again scored on a single by Rutger Veugelers, but that was all for the team.

Kinheim got the run back in the fourth inning when Denny Beljaards walked with one out, stole second, advanced on a grounder and scored on a wild pitch.
Another run was scored in the fifth at bat. Daan Baecke then walked his ninth batter, Tjerk Smeets, who went on to score on a single by Roel Koolen and lifted the lead to 6-2.
In the last four innings, Elton Koeiman pitched for Sparta/Feyenoord and gave up no additional runs.
Sparta/Feyenoord had eight hits, but only one of them was hit by the last five batters in the batting order, who combined went 1-for-20. Sparta/Feyenoord has now scored only nine runs in the eight games played so far.
(May 7)



Almere shuts out Neptunus
Nederlands | Line Score | Box Score | Almere's previous game | Neptunus' previous game
Standings | Schedule | All Line Scores & Box Scores
ALMERE (Neth.) - Instant Holland Almere '90 on Sunday won its second game of the season, a 3-0 shutout against reigning champion DOOR Neptunus.

Almere scored twice right away in the first inning. With one out, Randy Daal singled and moved to third base on a single by Ivanon Coffie, who advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Daal and Coffie then scored on a 2-run single by Bryan Engelhardt, before a double play ended the at bat.
In the third inning, Almere raised the lead to 3-0. Neptunus-starter Kevin Heijstek walked lead-off hitter Eugene Kingsale, who then scored on a double by Randy Daal, who was 3-for-4 and became the league's leading hitter with a .519 batting average.
In four of the next five innings, Almere would reach base, but failed to add more runs, as it stranded seven runners, including three in the seventh at bat.

But in the end, that was no problem, as Neptunus also was unable to score. In the first inning, the team left a runner on third base, as it did in the third inning. In the fifth inning, starter Forstin Coenraad was supported with a double play.
Neptunus came close to scoring runs in the sixth and seventh inning. In the sixth, Yuji Nerei singled with one out, then an error was made on a grounder by Raily Legito. With two outs, the bases were loaded when Evert-Jan 't Hoen was hit by a pitch, but then the inning ended when Lennart Koster flied out.
In the seventh, pinch-hitter Melfried Comenencia, who is approaching his 500th career basehit, singled. After a strikeout, Johnny Balentina also singled. Then, Balentina was forced out on a grounder by Benjamin Dille. With runners on first and third base, Derrick Isenia came in to relief Forstin Coenraad. Isenia then appeared to commit a balk as he turned but didn't throw, but this resulted in Dille, who had left first base and broke fors second, being thrown out and ending the inning. Isenia, who pitched in his first game of the season, was relieved in the ninth inning by veteran René Rijst with runners on first and second base and two outs. Rijst got Benjamin Dille to flyout and end the game, earning a save.
(May 7)


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