 Gryphons, UVV split opening double-header
Nederlands
    ROSMALEN / APELDOORN / AMSTERDAM / HOOFDDORP (Neth.) -
Gryphons and UVV split their opening double-header on Saturday, April 9, the first day of the new season in the 'Overgangsklasse', the second hightest league in the Netherlands.
Robur '58 became the first league-leader, as the Apeldoorn-squad was the lone team to win its double-header.
At Rosmalen, the expected match-up between American pitcher Taryne Mowatt (Gryphons) and Canadian pitcher Leah McIntosh never happened.
The reason therefore was simple, as Taryne Mowatt wasn't there.
Last weekend, during the Mastenbroek Tournament in Enschede, Gryphons announced that the righthander would arrive on the Monday thereafter.
Instead, she arrived this Sunday and therefore missed Opening Day on Saturday.
Taryne Mowatt will now make her debut in the Dutch competion next Saturday when Gryphons meets DSS in Haarlem.
In case, she would have been there for the first games, there also would not have been a match-up between the two foreign pitchers, as UVV decided to use their Canadian hurler in Game Two instead of the opener.
...Daisy Verstappen...
...surprise starter...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
In the first game of the season, Czech international Vendy Draha (who pitched in the Dutch big league the last few seasons for Centrals) threw for UVV.
Gryphons had a surprise starter in Daisy Verstappen, who last season played for Euro Stars in the big league.
After the season had ended, Verstappen announced her retirement, but their were also rumors that she would transfer to Birds with teammate Rebecca Antonissen.
It didn't come that far, meaning both retired and therefore remained members of Euro Stars.
As Euro Stars withdrew from the big league early last month, their remaining players became available for other teams and Gryphons recently picked up Verstappen.
In the opener, Daisy de Verstappen retired 15 of the first 16 batters she faced, while Gryphons took an 1-0 lead in the second inning.
Claudia Kranendonk then walked and scored on a 2-out error.
UVV then appeared to turn the game around in its favor by scoring three runs in the sixth inning in which an error contributed to a tie score.
Next, with Mirjam Boode on first base, Natalie van der Wijst tripled to give UVV a 3-1 lead.
However, in the home of the sixth inning, Gryphons came alongside.
First, Yonina St. Jago reached on an error and scored on a single by Sophie Mollee, then the latter score the tying run on a single by Monique Melissant.
Gryphons then won the game in the seventh when the UVV-defense committed two errors, enabling Cindy van der Zanden to score the winning run.
In Game 2, McIntosh started for UVV and faced Marjolein Merkx.
Gryphons took an 1-0 lead in the third inning thanks to a single by Illiandra Figaroa, but UVV came alongside in its third.
Kayleigh Adelina then led off with a triple and scored on a 2-out triple by Nathalie van der Wijst.
After Claudia Kranendonk had homered in the fourth to give Gryphons a 2-1 lead, UVV rallied for four runs in the fifth.
Adelina again led off with a triple and scored the tying run when next hitter Floor van Dijk also tripled.
After a pitching change, the latter scored on an error, then back-to-back doubles by Natalie van der Wijst and Leah McIntosh increased the lead to 5-2.
Three more runs were then added in the fifth to make it 8-2.
At Apeldoorn, Robur '58 won twice vs. DSS, which last season relegated from the big league.
DSS was unable to score a run in the double-header and lost 4-0 and 7-0.
At Amsterdam, Roef!, which last season promoted to this division, opened the season with a 15-8 win at Amsterdam Pirates, which then won Game 2, 9-5.
At Hoofddorp, Be Wild! Zuidvogels won the first game vs. Hoofddorp Pioniers 7-4, but then lost the next game, 8-1.
More details will be added later
(April 9)
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