 Softball-teams open new season
Nederlands
 AMSTERDAM (Neth.) -
The new softball-season gets underway on Saturday, April 12 with four double-headers scheduled in the big league and four more in the second highest division.
It will be an interesting season, as a new format is to be introduced in 2015.
Next year, only six (instead of eight) teams will play in the highest division, which will be called Golden League.
A two-pool Silver Challenge League will replace the second highest division.
Four teams will automatically qualify for the new Golden League.
The team that captures the Dutch championship, as well as the losing team of the Holland Series, plus the losing team of the Backdoor Play-Off will play in the Golden League next year.
The fourth team is the Dutch Junior-team, which then will be called Talent Team Holland.
The losing team of the nr. 3 vs. nr. 4 Play-Off will play in a Qualifying Round.
This team will be joined by the squads that finish in fifth, sixth and seventh place in the regular season of the big league, as well as the numbers one and two of the second highest league.
The two best teams of Qualifying Round will complete the Golden League in 2015.
The team that finishes in last place in the Dutch big league relegates to the Silver Challenge League.
On Saturday, Dutch champion Hotel Ambassador Haarlem Terrasvogels opens the season with a double-header at DSS, which last season promoted to the big league.
The double-header, which starts at 3 PM, will be played at the site of Kinheim in Haarlem, as the site of DSS is not yet available at the moment, due to soccer-activities on the complex.
Oolders Omaco Sparks Haarlem, which ended up empty-handed in the Holland Series, also starts the season on the road.
The team will play at Gryphons in Rosmalen, starting at 2:30 PM.
Alcmaria Victrix, which won the first round of the Play-Offs last season, opens at home and hosts Centrals, starting at 2 PM.
FysioExpert Olympia Haarlem, which lost the Play-Offs to Alcmaria Victrix, opens its season in Vleuten, meeting UVV, starting at 2 PM.
On Sunday, Centrals will play another double-header and then meets the Dutch Junior Team at home, starting at 2 PM.
All games in the big league can be followed again via a live play-by-play.
Standings, Scores & Schedule
In the second hightest division ('Overgangsklasse'), Tex Town Tigers, which relegated last season from the big league, opens with a double-header at Ban-Topa Future Stars in Amsterdam, starting at 2 PM.
Amsterdam Pirates, which last season lost the Promotion Play-Off vs. Centrals, opens at home vs. Twins, also starting at 2 PM.
Euro Stars and Roef! will be the first two teams this season to get into action.
They begin the first game of their double-header at 1 PM in Capelle a/d IJssel.
Starting at 3 PM, Mr. Cocker HCAW meets Onze Gezellen in the remaining double-header in this league.
(April 11)
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