For the second week in a row, Pirates-starter Tom Stuifbergen threw at least six scoreless innings, but again was left empty handed. Last week, in the season's opener, Stuifbergen gave up no runs in seven innings to DOOR Neptunus, before being credited with the tying run. Neptunus went on to win 3-1. Today, he threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings against Pioniers and finished the game as the losing pitcher. Just like last week, Pirates played a good game, but couldn't move the runners. Besides that, two costly errors resulted in four unearned runs.

...Edsel Martis... ...first hit since 1996... (Photo: Marco Stoovelaar)

In the first inning, Stuifbergen walked Mark Duursma with two outs and gave up a single to Dč Flanegin, but then retired 12 of the next 13 batters. In the fourth, Flanegin had doubled, but stranded at third base. In the fifth, Jefferson Muzo reached on a bunt-single with two outs, stole second, but was then picked off by Stuifbergen.

In the seventh inning, Marcel Venema singled with two outs. The inning then appeared to come to an end when Lars Koehorst hit a routine grounder to third baseman Roderick Simon, who made an error. Next, pinch-hitter Mark-Jan Moorman grounded to short stop Björn Henrichs, who also made an error, loading the bases. Stuifbergen then also was unable to finish the inning himself, as he gave up an infield-hit to Michael Duursma on which two runners scored, followed by a 2-run double by Norbert Lokhorst. Stuifbergen was relieved by Robin Franken, who finished the game.

Pirates couldn't come through off Pioniers-starter Richard Orman. The Amsterdam-team had runners of first and third with one out in the third when a double play ended the scoring chance. In the fourth, there were runners on first and second with two outs. In the seventh, pinch-hitter Bobbie van Duuren (who was recalled from the second team) singled (his first big league-hit) and advanced to third base when leftfielder Mark-Jan Moorman made an error. Van Duuren, who played in his first big league-game since 2001 (when he had nine at bats as a player of Pioniers), scored on a sac-fly by Bas Nooij.
In the eighth, veteran Edsel Martis registered his first big league-basehit in more than nine years when he entered the game as a pinch-hitter with one out. Moments later, he ended up in a double play when next batter Fausto Álvarez lined out. Just like Martis, Álvarez is 44 years old and is the second oldest rookie in history.
(April 23)

HCAW got 28 baserunners in this game, but scored only three runs, as 18 runners were left behind! The Bussum-team left the bases loaded four times.
After leaving the bases loaded in the first inning, HCAW took a 1-0 lead in the second at bat. Bas de Jong led off with a single, advanced on a wild pitch and a double by Nick Fridsma, but then was thrown out at the plate on a grounder by Dimitri Leon. Moments later, Fridsma scored on a force play-grounder by Ronald Jaarsma.
Sparta/Feyenoord reacted immediately and came alongside in the home of the second. With one out, Jeroen Hermans (fielder's choice) scored the tying run on a sac-fly by Patrick Wabbijn.

HCAW answered with two runs in the third inning. Bart Gabriëls first led off with a walk, but was then caught stealing. Next, Sidney de Jong doubled. De Jong went 4-for-4 and scored once to provide participants in the Fantasy Baseball-game Honkmanager van het Jaar with some additional points. After Kenny Berkenbosch walked, the bases were loaded when Sparta/Feyenoord-starter Satoru Fujii also walked Gino Henson. De Jong then scored on a single by Bas de Jong, who went 3-for-5, followed by a runscoring walk for Nick Fridsma. That gave HCAW a 3-1 lead, but more runs were not added, as HCAW stranded eleven more runners in the next six at bats. In this inning, three runners also were left behind as the inning ended when Dimitri Leon lined out and Ronald Jaarsma flied out. HCAW also left the bases full in the seventh and eighth inning.

Sparta/Feyenoord also was unable to come around, as HCAW turned three double plays. In the fourth inning, HCAW-starter Jurjen van Zijl walked Jeroen Hermans with two outs and was relieved by Jos de Jong, who pitched 3 1/3 hitless innings and was credited with the win. But in the seventh inning, the Rotterdam-club managed to add another (unearned) run. With one out, Patrick Wabbijn reached when on an error by second baseman Gino Henson, then later scored on an error by short stop Dimitri Leon. In the ninth inning, closer Cliff Foster walked pinch-hitter Sil Wagenaar, but then HCAW turned its third double play. A flyout ended the game and earned Foster his first save of the season.
(April 23)

42-year old veteran René Rijst started only his seventh game in nine seasons, but left the mound in the seventh with a 3-1 lead. However, he ended up with a no-decision, as reliever Nick Veltkamp saw ADO come alongside in the next at bats. In the last eight seasons, Rijst appeared in 128 games, but started only six of them. After throwing in relief last weekend, he started today and gave up only four basehits to ADO, which has some powerfull hitters in its line-up.
The righthander started the game less promising, when he walked lead-off hitter Jermaine Esprit, who advanced on a sac-bunt and scored on a 2-out single by Percy Isenia. But then Rijst went unharmed in the next five innings in which only two runners reached second base.

The Almere-offense provided Rijst with the tying run in the home of the first, but failed to add another run in this at bat. With one out, ADO-starter Jurrian Koks hit Eugene Kingsale with a pitch. The former Major Leaguer then stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error by catcher Maikel Benner. Kingsale then scored on a single by Ivanon Coffie. Moments later, Coffie moved to third base when Bryan Engelhardt also singled. When next batter Jason Halman struckout, the ball got away from catcher Benner on which Coffie tried to score. Benner got the ball in time, tagged out Coffie before the plate and completed a double play, as Halman of course struckout on the play, as first base was occupied.
In the second and fourth inning, Almere had runners on third base, but couldn't score. The team then scored twice in the fifth at bat. With one out, Ivanon Coffie walked and scored when Bryan Engelhardt followed with a double. Engelhardt himself scored on a 2-out single by Randy Daal, who went 3-for-4.

ADO came back with a run in the seventh inning. Kalian Sams led off with an infield-hit and moved on a one-out bunt-single by Shurty Tremus. René Rijst was then relieved by Nick Veltkamp. Sams moved to third when pinch-hitter Michel Korzeniewski hit a force play-grounder and scored when second baseman Randy Daal made a throwing error trying to complete a double play.
Almere got the run back in the home seventh. Gene Kingsale led off with a bunt-single, which marked the end for ADO-starter Jurrian Koks. Jimmy Summers took over and got two quick outs, but then Jason Halman hit an RBI-single.

In the eighth, James Rutherford homered for ADO to narrow the deficit to 4-3, then the team from The Hague tied the score in the ninth inning. Kalian Sams led off with a single and moved on a sac-bunt. Nick Veltkamp then walked the next batter, made a throwing error on the next play and enabled Sams to score the tying run on a wild pitch. The save was blown and so was Rijst's decision. After a flyout, Veltkamp loaded the bases with a walk and was replaced by Martin Kuipers, who ended the inning with a groundout.
Kuipers ended up as the winning pitcher, as Almere came back with a run in the home ninth. Jimmy Summers walked lead-off hitter Ivanon Coffie, who moved to third when Jason Halman hit a one-out double. Summers then loaded the bases by walking Randy Daal intentionally to set up a force play. Pinch-hitter Ferd van Stekelenburg then followed with a slow grounder towards second baseman Berry van Driel, who didn't throw to home preventing the run, as there probably wasn't a chance of throwing out the scoring Coffie, but instead threw out Van Stekelenburg at first base. But it ended the game, as Almere won 5-4.
(April 23)

In the first five innings, it was Neptunus that set the tone in this game. The reigning champion took a 3-0 lead in the second inning, which began with a lead-off homerun by Jurriaan Korff, who went 4-for-5. With one out, Jeffrey Arends doubled, moved on a grounder and scored on a single by Jeroen Sluijter. A single by Johnny Balentina enabled Sluijter to score, but Balentina was thrown out at second trying to stretch his single into a double.
Kinheim answered with two runs in its second. With one out, Edward Illidge doubled and Roel Koolen walked. Illidge moved on a force-play grounder by Robin Longhurst, then the bases were loaded when Czech starter Leoš Kubát walked Wouter Heemskerk. Denny Beljaards then followed with an RBI-single and Longhurst scored when Danny Rombley walked. But Kinheim left the bases loaded when René Cremer ended the inning with a force play-grounder.
In the third inning, Neptunus got one run back when Yuji Nerei singled and scored on a 2-out force play-error by short stop René Cremer, but this time Neptunus also stranded three runners. Another run was added in the fourth at bat when Jeroen Sluijter doubled and scored on a single by Benjamin Dille.
In the home fourth, Kinheim scored once. Roel Koolen led off with a single and scored on a grounder to make it 5-3.
Neptunus increased its lead to 7-3 in the fifth inning on a basesloaded, one-out, 2-run double by Jeroen Sluijter, who went 4-for-4, scored twice and had four RBI's. Just like Sidney de Jong in HCAW's game, Sluijter also had a good day for the participants in the Fantasy Baseball-game Honkbalmanager van het Jaar, who have him on their roster.

With a apparent comfortable 7-3 lead, Neptunus relieved starter Leoš Kubát after five innings. But then things went Kinheim's way, as the team rallied for eight runs to take an 11-7 lead. Jan Naterop took over for Kubát in the sixth and was welcomed with a double by Roel Koolen, who went 3-for-4. With one out, Wouter Heemskerk walked, then the bases were loaded when Denny Beljaards singled, which was the first of seven consecutive basehits. After Danny Rombley singled in a run, Naterop was replaced by Gregory Gustina, who gave up RBI-singles to René Cremer, Dirk van 't Klooster (2-run) and Tjerk Smeets. A single by Edward Illidge re-loaded the bases, followed by a 2-run double by Roel Koolen, his second double in this at bat. Illidge then scored the eighth run in the inning on a grounder by Robin Longhurst. In this game, all Kinheim-players scored at least once.

Neptunus was unable to come back and added only one more run. That came in the seventh inning off Duko Jansen, who had taken over for starter David Bergman in the fifth. Jansen walked Melfried Comenencia, who then scored all the way from first on a 2-out double by Jeroen Sluijter.
(April 23)

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