 Amsterdam Pirates to play for big league-promotion
Nederlands
 AMSTERDAM (Neth.) -
On Saturday, Amsterdam was the site for the two final double-headers of the season in the second highest league ('Overgangsklasse'), which would decide the final ranking for second and third place.
The team in second place earns the right to play a best-of-five Promotion/Relegation Play-Off against the second last team of the big league, which is UVV.
When the day began, Roef! was in second place, one point (1/2 game) ahead of Amsterdam Pirates.
Roef! had a double-header scheduled against fourth placed Ban-Topa Future Stars, while Amsterdam had to play against league-leader DSS, which two weeks ago won the championship in this league to promote to the big league.
Both Roef! and Amsterdam Pirates won their first game.
Roef! won 9-2, while Amsterdam registered a come-from-behind 9-6 win thanks to a 6-run rally in the sixth inning after already having trailed 5-0 in the third inning.
Amsterdam then also won Game 2, which was another exciting game, ending in a 9-4 won.
This time, Pirates trailed 2-0 in the third at bat and broke a 4-4 tie with a 5-run sixth inning.
The team then had to wait for the result of Roef! against Ban-Topa.
The suspense was building when a 4-4 score was reported after an initial lead by Roef!, but then celebrations erupted when it was confirmed that Roef! had lost 6-5.
With this, Amsterdam ended one point ahead of Roef! to qualify for the deciding series against UVV, which opens next Saturday in Vleuten.
Game 1 Amsterdam Pirates vs. DSS
In Game One, Amsterdam Pirates-pitcher Anne-Bé Bartels gave up five runs in the first three innings.
But hereafter, she recovered and gave up only one more additional run.
DSS took an 1-0 lead in the first inning on a single by Gabi Obia, then added three unearned runs in the next inning, thanks to a passed ball and two errors.
A single by Madelon Paauwe in the third inning gave DSS a 5-0 lead.
In the home of the third, Pirates got three runs back off of pitcher Quincey Catsburg.
Suzanne Poelgeest and Jeske Meewisse led off with singles, then a double by Lizzie Clarijs and sac-fly by Rhowan Stuart, plus a 2-out single by Denice van Dijk led to the runs.
While the Pirates-defense committed two errors in the fourth inning, DSS left the bases loaded, as the outs were made at the right time.
DSS then added a run in the sixth on a grounder by Gabi Obia.
Now trailing 6-3, Pirates staged a remarkable comeback in the home of the sixth inning with a 6-run rally.
It all began when Kelly Koeman led off with a walk and moved on a wild pitch.
She then scored on a following triple by Shanna van Vegten, who herself scored when Suzanne Poelgeest added an RBI-single.
Next, Jeske Meewisse hit the ball into rightfield, where initially an error was made, but the DSS-defense was able to force out Poelgeest at second base.
With Meewisse now on first base with a fielder's choice, Lizzie Clarijs walked.
Hereafter, Rhowan Stuart drilled the ball into centerfield for a 2-run triple that gave Pirates a 7-6 lead.
Moments later, Stuart scored on a double by Annemiek de Rover, who later scored the sixth run in the at bat when Naomi Andringa reached on an error.
In the top of the seventh inning, Anna-Bé Bartels gave up two singles, but held DSS scoreless to secure the win.
...Lizzie Clarijs is greeted after after scoring in the 3rd inning...
...Moments earlier, she had hit an RBI-double... | | 
...Winning pitcher Anna-Bé Bartels...
...She also was the winning pitcher in Game 2... |
...Coach Johan Korpel greets Shanna van Vegten after...
...her RBI-triple in the sixth inning... | | 
...After hitting an RBI-single, Suzanne Poelgeest is forced out...
...in the 6th inning; 2B Eva Halman gets the ball in time... |
...Annemiek de Rover hits an RBI-double in the 6th inning...
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...Rhowan Stuart, who put Pirates ahead with a 2-run triple,...
...scores on Annemiek's double and is greeted by teammates... |
...Naomi Andringa brings in another run in the 6th inning... | | 
...as Annemiek de Rover scores on her hit, which ends in an error... |
| (© Photos: Gerard Koeman) |
Game 2 Amsterdam Pirates vs. DSS
Game Two had a similar line score, as Pirates again decided the game with a big rally in the sixth at bat.
But it was also a game in which a run was awarded twice, but also reversed twice.
DSS again opened the score.
In the second inning, a single by Jacqueline Wesselink made it 1-0, but the team also stranded two runners.
In the third, a single by Maiken Rooker scored Quincey Catsburg to double the lead.
Amsterdam left two runners in scoring position in the first inning, stranded another one in the second, but then scored three runs in the third at bat.
The bases got loaded with no outs when Lizzie Clarijs led off with a single and both Rhowan Stuart and Annemiek de Rover were hit by a pitch.
A sacrifice fly by Denice van Dijk, wild pitch and 2-out single by Kelly Koeman then gave Pirates a 3-2 lead.
In the fourth inning, DSS came alongside off of starting pitcher Monique Faul.
Eva Halman led off with a single, moved on a single by Jacqueline Wesselink and a grounder by Denise Goedhart, then scored on a wild pitch.
The bottom of the fourth inning had a crucial play in which an awarded run was reversed.
What happened?
Jeske Meewisse led off with a single, the two flyouts followed.
Annemiek de Rover then singled and the bases got loaded when Denice van Dijk walked.
A following walk for Naomi Andringa then gave Pirates a 4-3 lead.
So far, everything went right.
But then, with two outs and the bases loaded, batter Kelly Koeman fouled the ball off her foot and it jumped besides the foul-line towards third base.
The umpires didn't noticed that the ball was hit off the foot of the batter and it was ruled fair.
In the meantime, Koeman sat on the ground and was unable to run to first base due the ball hitting her toes.
But as the ball was ruled fair, the runners took off.
DSS 3B Gabi Obia fielded the ball and threw it to catcher Madelon Paauwe, but De Rover scored.
While Koeman was still sitting on the ground, the catcher threw the ball to first base, where she was called out, but the run was awarded.
That led to an argument from DSS' Head Coach Werner Angermann.
The umpires discussed the situation, reversed the run, which brought out Amsterdam-coach Rob Korpel, resulting in the run being awarded again.
With that, Angermann filed a protest for the remainder of the game.
Another conversation between the umpires followed and for the second time, the run was (correctly) reversed.
With that, DSS withdraw its protest.
As batter Koeman never had reached first base, she was officially eliminated 5-2-3 for the third out, meaning it was not possible to score runs (Rule 5.07 b.1).
And so, the game continued with a 4-3 lead for Pirates.
In the sixth inning, DSS tied the score again off Anna-Bé Bartels, who had taken over the pitching the inning before.
With two outs, Jacqueline Wesselink singled and scored on a triple by Denise Goedhart.
In the home of the sixth, Pirates had another very productive at bat, scoring five runs with two outs.
With one out, Annemiek de Rover and Denice van Dijk hit back-to-back doubles to put runners on second and third base.
A strikeout followed, but then Kelly Koeman doubled to bring in both runners and make it 6-4.
Next, Ella Krommendijk also hit an RBI-double.
Errors on grounders by Michelle van Waveren and Jeske Meewisse then contributed to two additional runs and lifted the lead to 9-6.
Anna-Bé Bartels then retired the side in the seventh inning to end the game.
And then the waiting began for the result of the second game of Roef!.
...Monique Faul started the game for Pirates...
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...Annemiek de Rover went 3-for-3 and reached base four times...
...She scored three, eh, two runs... |
...Kelly Koeman is injured after hitting a ball of her foot...
...in the 4th inning, which leads to a crucial situation and a protest... | | 
...Catcher Jeske Meewisse and pitcher Anna-Bé Bartels await the...
...umpire's decision after a run is awarded and then reversed... |
...Amsterdam-coaches Johan and Rob Korpel argue in the 4th inning...
...with umpire Arie Nokkert after a run is reversed... | | 
...Kelly Koeman puts Amsterdam ahead 6-4 with a 2-run double...
...in the sixth inning... |
...Ella Krommendijk gets high-fives after scoring the eighth run...
...Moments earlier, she batted in the 7th run with a double... | | 
...Michelle van Waveren scores the ninth run on an error...
...Home Plate Umpire Louis Rohan makes it clear she is safe... |
...Suzanne Poelgeest and Kelly Koeman celebrate afterwards... | | 
...Amsterdam-players celebrate the Play-Off qualification... |
| (© Photos: Gerard Koeman) |
(September 21)
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