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(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Fred Versluis)
 Sparks Haarlem opens season with two big shutouts vs. Alcmaria
Nederlands
 HAARLEM (Neth.) -
Reigning champion Oolders Omaco Sparks Haarlem started the new season in the Golden League on Saturday (April 18) with two big victories.
The team faced Alcmaria Victrix, which compiles a young and unexperienced team after almost all players left after last season.
Playing at home, Sparks Haarlem won both games of its double-header with a 15-0 score.
Alcmaria Victrix registered only two basehits today in the two games, which lasted only two hours combined!
Last season, Sparks Haarlem remained unbeaten and went on to capture the Dutch championship.
Making his debut as Head Coach in the Dutch big league was Peter van Dalen, who succeeded Juni Francisca at Sparks Haarlem.
Francisca had led the team in the last seven years and now is one of the two coaches of the Netherlands National Team.
Making his comeback as coach in the highest division was Melvin Brown, who coaches Alcmaria.
He last coached in the big league in 2012, when he led UVV.
(April 18)
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Game 1
In the opener, Kirsten Scheele gave up only one basehit.
That came in the top of the first inning, which was the most productive for Alcmaria.
With one out, American catcher Shantae Duren singled up the middle, then advanced to second base on a passed ball.
Next batter Quita Borst was hit by a pitch and had to leave the game, as she was replaced by pinch-runner Malou Smit, who stayed in the game.
With runners on first and second base and only one out, Alcmaria had a chance of open the score.
But moments later, Duren was forced out on third base on a grounder by Lisette Untied, then a groundout ended the inning.
In the next two innings, Scheele struckout six batters in a row.
After Alcmaria had stranded two runners in the top of the first inning, Sparks Haarlem struck with five runs in its own first at bat off of American righthander Katherine Chavarria.
The home team got on the board quickly.
Anne Blaauwgeers, who played for Alcmaria in the previous four seasons, led off with a single, stole second and third base, then scored when Nathalie Gosewehr followed with a triple.
Areke Spel then walked and Virginie Anneveld added a sacrifice fly.
The next two runs were scored on errors.
The first followed a single by Maxime van Dalen, the second was made on a grounder by Manoa Weijgertse.
A single by Kiki Draaijer in her first official at bat for Sparks Haarlem then made it 5-0.
The next run was added in the second inning, thanks to a sacrifice fly by Anne Blaauwgeers, which scored Chantal Versluis, who had led off with a triple.
In the third inning, Sparks Haarlem rallied for nine runs on six hits to reach the 15-run difference to end the game prematurely.
In the inning, Kiki Draaijer added a 2-run single, while Anne Blaauwgeers (one run) and Manoa Weijgertse (2-run) both hit runscoring triples and Nathalie Gosewehr connected for an RBI-double.
Only three of the 15 runs scored by Sparks Haarlem were earned.
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| Sparks Haarlem - Alcmaria Victrix 15-0 (3 inn.) (Game 1) |
| R | H | E |
| Alcmaria Victrix | 000 | | | - | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Oolders Omaco Sparks Haarlem | 519 | | | - | 15 | 11 | 0 |
| (two outs when 15-run difference was reached in the third inning) |
| pitcher Alcmaria Victrix | inn. | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Katherine Chavarria, L (0-1) | 2.2 | - | 3 | 11 | 15 | 3 |
| pitcher Sparks Haarlem | inn. | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Kirsten Scheele, W (1-0) | 3 | 7 | - | 1 | - | - |
Umpires: HP-Louis Rohan, 1B-Gerrit-Jan van der Hoeven.
Official Scorer-Dieks Bannink.
Play-by-Play Scorer-Feiko Drost.
Public Address Announcer-Wouter Hoos.
Time-0:56 hr.
Game Notes: Opening Day 2015 season.
Weather conditions at game time: Sunny, 13° C (55° F), northeastern wind 18 kmh (11 mph), humidity 47%. |
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...The young team of Alcmaria Victrix...
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...The first ball is thrown...
...by a youthplayer... |
...Coaches Peter van Dalen and...
...Erik Vrugt are introduced... |
...Anne Blaauwgeers scores the 1st run... |
...Chantal Versluis tripled in 2nd inning... |
...Winning pitcher Kirsten Scheele... |
| (© All Photos: Fred Versluis) |
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Game 2
In the second game, Sparks Haarlem scored the same amount of runs in each of the three innings they played as in the first game, but in another order.
Did the team rally for nine runs in the third at bat in the opener, in this game, Sparks Haarlem scored nine runs in the first inning.
Hereafter, five runs followed in the second and one in the third to end the game.
In the first inning, seven basehits were registered and all nine runs were scored with two outs!
With one out, Cindy van der Zanden (who also made her Sparks-debut today) tripled, then Karin Tuk was hit by a pitch with two outs.
The rally then started with a single by Virginie Anneveld, who next month will travel to the States to start her professional career in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF).
A single by Maxime van Dalen, an error, a 2-run double by Kiki Draaijer and an RBI-single by Damishah Charles (another new player) then accounted for the next runs.
In her second at bat in this inning, Cindy van der Zanden delivered an RBI-double, which was followed by a 2-run single by Areke Spel to lift the lead to 9-0.
A 5-run rally followed in the second inning, thanks to a sac-fly by Kiki Draaijer, RBI-triple by Damishah Charles, RBI-double by Cindy van der Zanden, basesloaded walk for Karin Tuk and runscoring grounder by Virginie Anneveld.
Sparks Haarlem-pitcher Rebecca Soumeru retired the first three batters, then gave up a lead-off single to Lisette Untied in the second, but she was to be the lone runner for Alcmaria.
Hereafter, Soumeru retired the next six batters in a row, including four strikeouts.
Sparks Haarlem then reached the 15-run difference in the bottom of the third.
Manoa Weijgertse led off with a single, then scored on a walk-off double by Kiki Draaijer.
Newcomers Cindy van der Zanden and Kiki Draaijer contributed with five hits, five runs and six RBI's in this game.
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| Sparks Haarlem - Alcmaria Victrix 15-0 (3 inn.) (Game 2) |
| R | H | E |
| Alcmaria Victrix | 000 | | | - | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Oolders Omaco Sparks Haarlem | 951 | | | - | 15 | 12 | 0 |
| (no outs when 15-run difference was reached in the third inning) |
| pitcher Alcmaria Victrix | inn. | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Nikita Bing, L (0-1) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 2 |
| Nienke Verhofstad | 1 (*) | - | 2 | 5 | 6 | 3 |
| (*) - Verhofstad pitched to two batters in the third inning |
| pitcher Sparks Haarlem | inn. | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Rebecca Soumeru, W (1-0) | 3 | 5 | - | 1 | - | - |
Umpires: HP-Gerrit-Jan van der Hoeven, 1B-Louis Rohan.
Official Scorer-Dieks Bannink.
Play-by-Play Scorer-Feiko Drost.
Public Address Announcer-Wouter Hoos.
Time-1:02 hr.
Game Notes: Opening Day 2015 season.
Weather conditions at game time: Sunny, 14° C (57° F), northeastern wind 19 kmh (11 mph), humidity 43%. |
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...Winning pitcher Rebecca Soumeru... |
...Virginie Anneveld... |
...Damishah Charles... |
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| ...Cindy van der Zanden, Damishah Charles and Kiki Draaijer played in their first games for Sparks Haarlem... |
| (© All Photos: Fred Versluis) |
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Copyright © 1997-2015 Marco Stoovelaar / Grand Slam * Stats & News.
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