 DSS relegates; Olympia avoids automatic relegation; Terrasvogels earns home advantage
Nederlands
   HAARLEM / ENSCHEDE / CAPELLE a/d IJSSEL (Neth.) -
Iber Lengua Terrasvogels won 5-0 and 5-3 vs. league-leader Sparks Haarlem on Saturday to finish the 'ranking-pool' in second place, therefore earning home advantage in the best-of-five Play-Off vs. Tex Town Tigers, which starts next Thursday-evening at Santpoort.
Tex Town Tigers closed the season with a double-header split vs. Centrals.
TTT opened with a 9-6 win, then lost the next game 5-1.
Centrals will meet Sparks Haarlem in the other semi-final, which opens next Thursday-evening at Haarlem.
The winners of the Play-Offs will meet in the Holland Series, which is scheduled to open on Thursday, September 30.
In the Relegation Pool, Olympia Haarlem, which was in last place when the weekend started, avoided automatic relegation by winning twice vs. Euro Stars, 2-0 and 6-0.
DSS was shutout 3-0 and 1-0 by Twins, meaning Olympia passed by DSS, which therefore ended in last place and relegated to the First Division.
By finishing in second-to-last-place, Olympia avoided automatic relegation, but still is in jeopardy.
They will now play a best-of-five Promotion/Relegation Play-Off vs. Gryphons, the number 2 in the First Division, which last year relegated itself from the big league.
This series opens next Saturday at the site of Olympia.
Iber Lengua Terrasvogels vs. Sparks Haarlem, 5-0, 5-3
At Santpoort, by winning twice today, Iber Lengua Terrasvogels remained unbeaten in the 'ranking pool', which it closed with a 5-0 record and one tie.
In the opener, Femke van Dusschoten struckout nine batters and gave up only three hits to Sparks, which today had included former player Kinge Bouma in its line-up.
Terrasvogels collected five basehits.
Sparks used four pitchers in this game, including outfielder Areke Spel, who threw the seventh inning and struckout two batters, while walking one.
She gave up no hits, but did allow the fifth run.
Terrasvogels started the game well by scoring two runs in the first inning off starting pitcher Rebecca Soumeru.
Linda Hoenderdos led off with a single, then scored when Shannah van der Kaaij followed with a double.
After Christina Rolla flied out, Kate Gentile drove the ball into centerfield where it touch the top of the fence and bounced back into the field.
Gentile ended up with a double, but a second run was scored and it also resulted in a pitching change, as Dagmar Bloeming was brought in to replace Soumeru.
...Kate Gentile...
...2 doubles, homerun, 5 RBI's...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
After retiring the next six hitters in a row, Bloeming walked Christina Rolla with two outs in the third inning, who then advanced on a passed ball.
Next, Kate Gentile again drove the ball into the outfield, but this it left the field for a 2-run homerun to make it 4-0.
In the fourth inning, Kirsten Scheele became the third Sparks-pitcher and she gave up one hit in two innings, before rightfielder Areke Spel became the fourth pitcher in the sixth inning.
Spel started by striking out Kate Gentile, but then walked Solange Starrenburg, who advanced on a wild pitch.
Next, Mariëlle Vleugels grounded out, but Starrenburg was able to advance to both third base and home plate when Spel threw two more wild pitches, before striking out pinch-hitter Iris Kolman.
Sparks got its biggest scoring opportunity in the fourth inning when it got the bases loaded with one out.
Kim Kluijskens led off with a walk, then advanced on an one-out wild pitch.
The bases then got loaded when Noémi Boekel also walked and Marloes Fellinger singled.
But then, pitcher Femke van Dusschoten struckout next batters Areke Spel and Jolanda Kroesen to end the inning.
Van Dusschoten retired 11 of the last 12 hitters she faced, including five strikeouts.
Two of the three hits she gave up were hit by Marloes Fellinger.
With this first win, Terrasvogels secured home advantage in the Play-Offs, as the results of the games played against Tex Town Tigers would been in their favor in case of a tie between the two teams.
...Marloes Fellinger...
...4 basehits...
(© Photo: MS) |
In Game 2, Terrasvogels broke an 1-1 tie in the third inning and held a 4-1 lead after five innings.
Sparks opened the score in the second inning when Aimee Murch walked Debby Connor, then saw the bases being loaded when Marloes Fellinger and Areke Spel (bunt) both singled with one out.
Next, Jolanda Kroesen flied out, but when a throwing error followed, Connor could score the first run.
Terrasvogels got the run back in the home of the second inning.
Solange Starrenburg led off with a single, stole second and scored when Dana Horeman followed with a double.
Terrasvogels then took a 2-1 lead in the third inning.
With one out, Marije Schoenmaker walked and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Christina Rolla and scored on a single by Kate Gentile.
...Dana Horeman...
...2-for-3, double, run, RBI...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
In the fourth inning, Sparks got the bases loaded with two outs when Marloes Fellinger walked and both Jolanda Kroesen and Kinge Bouma singled, but then Nathalie Gosewehr flied out.
In the fifth inning, Terrasvogels added two runs off Kirsten Scheele, who had taken over the pitching for Dagmar Bloeming in the previous at bat.
With one out, Shannah van der Kaaij and Marije Schoenmaker both reached on an error.
A force play followed, but resulted in a run, then Kate Gentile doubled to bring in another run and make it 4-1.
In today's double-header, Gentile registered four basehits and five RBI's.
Sparks narrowed the deficit to 4-3 by scoring two runs in the sixth inning.
Noémi Boekel and Marloes Fellinger (who had four hits today) singled and advanced on a sac-bunt by Areke Spel, then both scored when a 2-out throwing error was made on a grounder by Kinge Bouma.
Terrasvogels added an insurance run in its sixth at bat.
Dana Horeman led off with a single, then Eva de Bruin reached when an error was made on her sac-bunt and the bases got loaded when Femke Haage hit a bunt-single with one out.
Shannah van der Kaaij then followed with a single to bring home Dana Horeman, who was back at third base defensively and was 2-for-3 with a double, run scored and RBI in this game.
Next, Eva de Bruin was forced out at home on a grounder by Marije Schoenmaker and a flyout ended the inning.
In the seventh inning, Aimee Murch gave up an one-out single to Kim Kluijskens and a 2-out single to Noémi Boekel, but then Marloes Fellinger flied out to end the game.
Tex Town Tigers vs. Centrals, 9-6, 1-5
At Enschede, Tex Town Tigers closed the 'ranking pool' with a split vs. Centrals, which might surprise during the upcoming Play-Offs.
The win in the opener was the only one for the reigning champion in this pool, as it lost four times and played one tie.
Tex Town Tigers currently misses three of its regular infielders, as 3B Virginie Anneveld and 2B Meike Witteveen are injured, while SS Britt Vonk is starting a college-career in the USA.
In the opener, Tex Town Tigers scored four runs in the first inning and held a 7-3 lead after three at bats, but saw Centrals come back to 7-5 in the fifth.
Winning pitcher Lindsey Meadows struckout nine batters, but also gave up 13 basehits, including three by former TTT-player Lotte Holvast, who was 3-for-4.
...Meike Witteveen (injured), Virginie Anneveld (injured)...
...Lotte Holvast (3 hits) and Britt Vonk (USA)...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
In the first at bat, TTT scored four unearned runs with two outs.
Dinet Oosting singled with one out off starter Vendy Draha, then Lindsey Meadows was hit by a pitch, but was forced out at second base on a grounder by Karin Tuk.
An error on a grounder by Nadine Marinus then resulted in the first run, followed by an RBI-single by Myrthe Smid and a 2-run double by Kirsten Holshof.
The fifth run was added in the second when lead-off hitter Merel Oosterveld reached third base on a dropped fly ball in the outfield and scored on a grounder by Dinet Oosting.
In the third inning, Centrals got back into the game by scoring three runs on four hits.
Lotte Holvast led off with a bunt-single, followed by a single by Vendy Draha and an RBI-single by Maaike Blaauwgeers.
The bases then got loaded when JJ Hartung walked.
After a strikeout, two runs were scored when Lisa Sweeney singled.
TTT got two runs back in its third when Nadine Marinus and Myrthe Smid singled and respectively scored on a wild pitch and an error.
Trailing 7-3, Centrals scored twice in the fifth.
JJ Hartung and Anne Blaauwgeers (bunt) led off with singles and both scored on a 2-out single by Amber Dammers to make it 7-5.
...Lisa Sweeney...
...winning pitcher...
...two 2-run singles...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
In the fifth and sixth inning, TTT added two insurance runs.
In the fifth, they got the bases loaded, but scored only once.
With one out, Kirsten Holshof walked, then Marije ten Thij and Lynn Dollekamp both singled.
The run was then scored on a sac-fly by Merel Oosterveld, which ended in a double play, as Ten Thij was eliminated after having reached third base, but the run already had scored at that moment.
In the sixth, Dinet Oosting led off with a double and advanced on two wild pitches to make it 9-5.
Centrals then scored its last run in the seventh when Lisa Sweeney led off with a double, moved on a single by Maaike van Aarle and scored when an error was made on a grounder by pinch-hitter Nikki Harte.
In Game 2, Lisa Sweeney went the distance for Centrals, struckout five and gave up six hits.
Centrals got nine basehits off Martina Lackner and Ginger de Weert.
Centrals took an 1-0 lead in the first inning.
With one out, Anne Blaauwgeers reached on an error and scored on a single by Maaike van Aarle.
TTT tied the score in its first when it got the bases loaded with one out.
Merel Oosterveld led off with a walk and went on to score on a passed ball, but two runners stranded.
After TTT left a runner in the third and two more in the fourth inning, Centrals struck with four runs in the fifth at bat with two outs.
New pitcher Ginger de Weert got two quick outs, but then gave up a single to Maaike Blaauwgeers and hit next hitter JJ Hartung with a pitch.
Next, Anne Blaauwgeers singled to give Centrals the lead, followed by a 2-run single by Lisa Sweeney and an RBI-single by Maaike van Aarle that made it 5-1.
Euro Stars vs. Olympia Haarlem, 0-2, 0-6
At Capelle a/d IJssel, Olympia Haarlem shutout Euro Stars twice in a must-win situation.
It must have been a tense afternoon for Euro Stars, which still was in jeopardy of relegation when the day started.
As Olympia won both games, Euro Stars could have been passed by DSS in case that team would have won twice vs. Twins.
When Euro Stars ended its first game with a loss and started the second game of the double-header, DSS and Twins were just underway with their first meeting.
Of course, on a decisive day as today, all games should have started at the same time.
During Game 2, Euro Stars vs. Olympia remained scoreless for five innings, as was the case between DSS and Twins, meaning the tension only arose.
In the sixth inning, Olympia started a 4-run rally, meaning Euro Stars was facing its second defeat.
It must have been at this same time that Twins opened the score in its sixth at bat vs. DSS.
But in the end, before Euro Stars ended its game vs. Olympia with a second loss, it knew that DSS was beaten by Twins, meaning they became out of reach and secured their big league-spot.
As the day ended, it was DSS that was left empty-handed and relegated.
...Christie Hill...
...2 complete game wins...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
In the opener, Euro Stars outhit Olympia 7-6, but failed to score off Christie Hill, who went the distance.
Olympia scored both runs in the fourth inning.
Euro Stars-pitcher Daisy Verstappen retired the first nine batters in order, including four strikeouts, but then gave up four hits in the fourth inning.
With one out, Rebecca Duindam singled and scored when Lisanne van de Berg followed with a double.
The latter advanced on a single by Karlene Headley-Cooper and scored when next batter Maranca Ham also singled.
In the fifth inning, Olympia got the bases loaded, but failed to add more runs.
...Marisèla de Wind...
...2-run homerun...
...2-run single...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
In Game 2, Olympia broke a scoreless tie by scoring four runs in the sixth inning on three consecutive extra basehits.
After having left four runners in the previous three innings, Olympia rallied off Laura Belardinelli.
With one out, Lisanne van de Berg singled, advanced on a passed ball and scored on a double by Karlene Headley-Cooper.
Next, Maranca Ham also doubled to bring in a run.
After Rebecca Antonissen had taken over the pitching, Marisèla de Wind greeted her with a 2-run inside-the-park-homerun to make it 4-0.
After some defensive changes, Rosanne de Vries registered the fifth basehit (a single) in a row, but would be left behind, as two strikeouts ended the inning.
In the seventh, Olympia added two more runs as the first six batters reached base safely, but two force outs were made.
Christie Hill led off with a single and was replaced by pinch-runner Eliza Rikkelman, who was then forced out on a grounder by Rebecca Duindam.
After Belardinelli came back as pitcher, Lisanne van de Berg walked and Karlene Headley-Cooper singled to load the bases.
Duindam was then forced out at home on a grounder by Maranca Ham, but then Marisèla de Wind followed with a 2-run single to make it 6-0.
Christie Hill again went the distance for Olympia and gave up six basehits, but never ran into real problems and was supported with two double plays.
DSS vs. Twins, 0-3, 0-1
At Haarlem, DSS ended its season at its home site with two shutout-losses and this meant, combined with the two wins of Olympia Haarlem, that the team finished in last place, resulting in automatic relegation to next years First Division.
Last year, DSS won the First Division-title to return to the big league after a 24-year absence.
...Sonja Pannen...
...17 strikeouts...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
DSS fought for what it was worth, as it relinquished late in both games, but in the end, they couldn't save their season.
In the opener, the team registered only two basehits off Andrea Lindgren, then was held hitless in the next game by Ashley Smuda.
Veteran pitcher Sonja Pannen, who announced her retirement, went the distance in both games.
The 41-year old righthander gave up eleven hits in the double-header and struckout 17 batters!
...Ashley Smuda...
...No-Hitter...
(© Photo: Fred Versluis) |
In the opener, Pannen struckout nine and held Twins scoreless for five innings.
In the sixth, Sophie Bugter led off with a double and advanced on a sac-bunt by Sarah Van Der Meiren.
After Mickey Jansen walked, Fabienne van Uden singled to bring in two runs.
A third run was added in the seventh inning.
Sandra Catoen led off with a triple and was replaced by pinch-runner Debby Barbé, who then scored on a passed ball.
In Game 2, Twins scored its lone run in the seventh inning.
Ashley Smuda struckout eight hitters and threw a 7-inning No-Hitter.
The closest DSS came to a run was in the third inning when Smuda walked Marijke van Veen and Floor Roest, who ended up on second and third base after a sac-bunt, but stranded there.
Sonja Pannen struckout eight batters also and gave up six hits.
Twins stranded two runners in the third, fourth and sixth inning and eight in total in the first six innings, before scoring the lone run in the seventh.
With two outs, Sandy Lauwers then walked, moved to third base on a throwing error by Pannen and scored on a single by Evelien Vonk.
(September 11)
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