Intercontinental Cup
	Netherlands vs. Australia November 16, 2006

Compiled and Copyright © 1997-2006 by Marco Stoovelaar

Dutch beat Australia in thriller
Nederlands | Box Score | Play-by-Play
TAICHUNG (Taiwan) - The Dutch Baseball Team ended the preliminary round of the Intercontinental Cup-tournament on Thursday-evening with 4-3 win in a thriller vs. Australia, scoring four runs in the last four innings.
The game ended with a heated eleventh inning in which Australia filed a protest shortly after Dutch Manager Robert Eenhoorn had been ejected in another situation. That the Dutch team was a sure entry in the semi-final, wasn't so sure at all, as there were still theoretical possibilities that the Dutch would be eliminated. But no one expected that host Taiwan would win against Cuba. In that case, there could have been a 3-way tie in case Australia would beat the Netherlands. In that case the tie-break rule of runs given up in defensive innings played would become decisive. And indeed, one part of the unthinkable happened, as Taiwan defeated unbeaten Cuba 4-3. The final score of this game was known when the eleventh inning of the Dutch vs. Australia game was starting, meaning that Australia only had a theoretical chance of qualifying, but that could have happen when the team would have scored seven runs in the twelfth inning to win 10-3. In this scenario, Taiwan and Australia would clinch, with the Dutch team being eliminated. When the Dutch team scored the winning run in then eleventh, Australia filed a protest against it. An understandable move by Australia, because When they would have win that, the game would continue with a 3-3 score, giving Australia the opportunity to score the seven necessary runs. But, the protest was rejected, meaning the run was correct. As a result, the Dutch team finished in third place and will meet Japan in the semi-final, while Taiwan will meet Cuba again on Saturday, with Australia being left empty-handed. An 2-1 loss in nine or 3-2 loss in ten innings also would have secured the top-four spot for the Dutch, but hey, you want to win a game, isn't it.

The Dutch victory was the eighth overall against Australia in 22 meetings. For the Dutch, this was revenge as today, the teams met each other for the first time since August 21, 2004 when Australia crushed the Netherlands 22-2 on the Olympic Games in Athens (Greece). Before that, there were four games between the two, Australia had won two exhibition games, while the Dutch won on the 1996 Olympics and the 2001 World Cup.

Leon Boyd started for the Dutch team, but gave up two runs in the second inning. After he retired the side in the first inning (he struckout the first two batters), Boyd gave up two lead-off singles in the second to Thomas Brice and Benjamin Risinger. The next batter then struckout, but Matthew Kent singled and David Sutherland doubled to give Australia the lead. The bases were loaded when a walk followed, but then a strikeout and flyout followed to end the inning. In the third inning, Boyd struckout two batters with runners on first and third and one out. While Boyd recovered after this, the two runs seems to be enough for Australia, which led 2-1 in the ninth inning.

It took long for the Dutch team to cross home plate. The team reached base frequently, but seven runners stranded, before the first run was scored in the eighth inning. In the first inning, Michael Duursma led off with a walk, moved on a sac-bunt and a single by Sharnol Adriana, but then a double play followed. In the second inning, there were runners on first and second with two outs and in the third, the bases were loaded with two outs. In this last at bat, Eugene Kingsale doubled with one out, then rightfielder Paul Rutgers made a great catch of a fly by Sharnol Adriana. With two outs, the bases were loaded when Sidney de Jong singled and Ivanon Coffie walked, but a force play-grounder ended the scoring opportunity. In the sixth, Raily Legito doubled with two outs, but also stranded. In the seventh Dutch at bat, there were two quick outs, when the Australian Manager decided to bring in Joshua Hill as reliever for starter Adam Blackley. It would be Hill that ran into problems in the next three innings and gave up three runs.

...Dirk van 't Klooster... ...score-tying triple... (Photo: Marco Stoovelaar)

Trailing 2-0, the Dutch team scored its first run in the eighth inning. Eugene Kingsale led off with a single, then reliever Joshua Hill misplayed a grounder by Sharnol Adriana, who was credited with an infield-hit. The bases were loaded when Sidney de Jong also singled. Ivanon Coffie then delivered a sacrifice fly, enabling Kingsale to score. Two runners were left behind, as Australia next turned a double play.

In the seventh inning, Michiel van Kampen had relieved starter Leon Boyd and retired all six batters he faced. Closer Dave Draijer then came on in the ninth. The first batter he faced grounded towards third baseman Ivanon Coffie, who could have been credited with an error, but the Cuban Official Scorer ruled it an infield-hit. After a flyout, the runner was forced out, but a single brought runners on first and second, before another flyout ended this Australian thread.
In the home of the ninth inning, the Dutch team came alongside, but stranded three runners. Dirk van 't Klooster led off with a single, then Percy Isenia the same. After the two advanced on a passed ball, Van 't Klooster scored on a sac-fly by Danny Rombley. Michael Duursma then struckout, but next batter Eugene Kingsale walked, followed by a wild pitch that moved the two runners. The bases were loaded by walking Sharnol Adriana intentionally. The inning ended when Sidney de Jong flied out.

...Sharnol Adriana... ...gamewinning double... (Photo: Marco Stoovelaar)

Australia got a renewed 3-2 lead in the tenth inning. Dave Draijer walked lead-off hitter Gavin Fingleson, who then scored on an one-out single by Thomas Brice.
But the Dutch team again was able to tie the score in the home tenth. Raily Legito singled with one out after which Joshua Hill was relieved by Donovan Handricks. But the new pitcher was greeted by a triple by Dirk van 't Klooster, which tied the scored. But Van 't Klooster then stranded on third base, as Kalian Sams grounded out and Danny Rombley struckout.

In an exciting eleventh inning, the Dutch scored for the fourth inning in a row, but this run was decisive, as it gave the team a 4-3 win. The inning started with Dutch Manager Robert Eenhoorn being ejected by Cuban Home Plate Umpire Juan José Cuevas after he argued a disputable strikeout for Michael Duursma. The Dutch second baseman reacted to the second strike, then was asked to step back into the batter's box. When he didn't do that right away, the Cuban umpire called a third strike on a non-pitch, which prompted Eenhoorn to react furiously on this very strange decision, resulting in an ejection. While is appeared that Duursma also was ejected in this situation, that didn't happen.
Moments later, the winning run was scored. Eugene Kingsale first walked, then scored on a double by Sharnol Adriana, who was 3-for-5. However, Australia filed a protest, stating the ball hit by Adriana down the leftfield-line was touched in leftfield by the ball-girl overthere ('intentionally touching the ball'), meaning play should have been stopped and the (winning) run would not have scored. A long meeting for about 30 minutes by the Technical Commissioners followed, meaning everyone had to wait and remain on the field for the official outcome. Tapes from the Taiwanese television were reviewed to come to a decision. While it was clear that the ball-girl indeed touched the ball, it was decided that there was no intention of doing that, meaning this was a case of 'unintentional touching the ball'. As a result, the ball remained in play and therefore the run counted, giving the Dutch team a 4-3 victory and ending the game.

Complete Play-by-Play Netherlands vs. Australia (Game Seven)
Box Score Netherlands vs. Australia (Game Seven)

Also on Thursday...
Korea beat Italy 5-1 in the morning.
In the afternoon, Dutch Technical Commissioner Jan Esselman watched how Japan shutout the Philippines, 17-0.
And as mentioned, in the evening, Taiwan surprised by winning 4-3 against Cuba, handing them their first loss of the tournament. Dutchman Edwin van den Berk was one of the umpires and Feiko Drost was the lead Official Scorer.
(November 16)