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(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos courtesy of Euro Stars)
  Euro Stars prepares for season in Italy
Nederlands
 PORPETTO / RONCHI DEI LEGIONARI (Italy) -
After having played its first exhibition game of the season against Almere '90 on Saturday, March 14, Euro Stars continued its preparations for the new season with a training-camp in Italy.
...The team enjoys the afternoon off...
...on Saturday in beautiful Venice...
...On the foreground is Wendy van der Hoeven...
...Behind her left to right: Renske Jansen, Eliza van 't Zelfde,...
...Coach Willy van der Lee, Kim van der Valk, Kirsten Molle,...
...Davinia de Kwant, Onaisha Franka, Rachel Schouten,...
...Manon Hogenes, Anna Prins, Kimberley Matulessy,...
...Merel Cramer, Kimberley van der Lee and Shomayra Franka...
(© Photo: Euro Stars) |
On Friday, March 20, the squad flew to Italy, where it conduced a practice in the afternoon at the site of Porpetto Softball Club.
Last year, this club hosted the European Cup Winners Cup Tournament.
The next day, Euro Stars held another practice in Porpetto.
In the afternoon, the team had the rest of the day off and visited nearby Venice.
On Sunday, March 22, Euro Stars participated in the Torneo di Primavera, which was organized by Stars Technovap Staranzano.
Besides the host club and Euro Stars, the third team to participate was Rovigo Softball Club.
This season, both Staranzano and Rovigo play in the Italian Softball League, the highest division in Italy.
The games were played at Stadio Comunale 'G. Gregoret', the softball-field in Ronchi Dei Legionari.
This is a familiar and successful site for Dutch softball.
In 2007, the Netherlands National Softball Team won the Olympic Qualifying Tournament there to qualify for the Olympic Games of 2008 in Beijing (China).
In 2011, the Dutch squad again captured the European Championship-title on that site.
The field was also familiar ground for Willy van der Lee, the Head Coach of Euro Stars, as he was the Batting Practice Pitcher of the Dutch Team during the Olympic Qualifier in 2007.
In the first game of the 'Triangolare' (triple-header), Euro Stars faced Staranzano.
The day initially began with some rain, but later the weather condtions became much better.
Euro Stars trailed 5-1, but came alongside, then took the lead, but lost 7-6 in the tie-break.
In the second game, the two Italian teams faced each other.
That game was tied 3-3 and was also decided in the tie-break when Rovigo scored the winning run.
Tie-break runner Daria Boldrin then advanced to third base on a sacrifice bunt by her sister Roberta Boldrin and scored on a single by Marta Pasqualini to make it 4-3.
The tournament ended with the game between Euro Stars and Rovigo.
In this game, Rovigo won 6-4 to win the 3-team event.
In the evening, the team of Euro Stars flew back home.
Coming Saturday, March 28, Euro Stars has a double-header scheduled at home against Twins.
(March 20-22)
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Game One vs. Staranzano
Euro Stars opened the tournament against Staranzano Stars.
The team had a good start and immediately took an 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning off of starting pitcher Teresa Cernecca.
Onaisha Franka led off with a walk, then stole second base.
With one out, she also stole third base, then scored when a throwing error followed.
The lead was shortlived, as Staranzano answered with two runs in the bottom of the second inning off of Shomayra Franka.
With one out, four batters reached base safely.
First, Federica Bon (who was 3-for-3) singled, then a walk led to the next runner.
An error on a grounder by Veronika Comar led to the tying run.
With runners on second and third base, an attempt was made to eliminate the runner at the plate on a grounder by Anna Dessenibus.
However, the runner was safe and Staranzano had taken a 2-1 lead.
The Italian squad enlarged its lead in the next two innings.
In the third, Marta Gasparotto led off with a walk and advanced on a passed ball.
With one out, she moved to third base on a bunt-single by Francesca Caserta, which was followed by a fielder's choice, which led to the run.
Staranzano added two runs in the fourth off of new pitcher Wendy van der Hoeven.
With one out, Masa Kusar (the team's best hitter last season with a .383 average) walked.
After she stole second base, she scored on a single by Marta Gasparotto, who is a player of the Italian National Team.
The latter then scored the next run on an error.
But with Staranzano leading 5-1, the game was far from over, as Euro Stars had a strong comeback in the fifth at bat.
The team then rallied for four runs (all scored with two outs), forced a pitching change and came alongside.
Renske Jansen led off with a single, moved on a passed ball and stole third base.
With one out, she was able to score when a strikeout followed, but the ball was thrown to first base.
Next, Onaisha Franka was hit by a pitch and Kirsten Molle walked.
The two scored when Rachel Schouten delivered a triple.
With Staranzano now leading only 5-4, a pitching change followed.
Veronica Comar took over, but was greeted with an RBI-single by Davinia de Kwant, which brought in the tying run.
Wendy van der Hoeven retired the side in the bottom of the fifth inning, which was the last regular at bat according to tournament-rules.
But as the score was tied, a tie-break followed.
In the top of the sixth, Euro Stars did fine again, taking a 6-5 lead.
Tie-break runner Kimberley van der Lee moved to third base on a passed ball, then scored the go-ahead run on an one-out single by Renske Jansen.
The latter was forced out on a following grounder by Anna Prins, but Euro Stars got another runner when Manon Hogenes walked.
They both stranded, but Euro Stars had taken a 6-5 lead.
Unfortunately for the squad from Capelle a/d IJssel, Staranzano reacted with two runs.
Tie-break runner Francesca Concina moved on a fielder's choice-grounder by Masa Kusar.
Then Marta Gasparotto grounded to first base, but the throw to the plate didn't result in an out and so, the score was tied again.
A walk then followed to load the bases.
Next, a grounder by Francesca Caserta followed, which of course led to an attempt to force out the runner at home, but she slid in safely to score the winning run.
Euro Stars collected seven hits, including three by Davinia de Kwant.
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Game Two vs. Rovigo
Euro Stars played another fine game in the afternoon.
The team initially trailed again, but had a productive at bat to take the lead.
But an inning later, opponent Rovigo was able to turn the game again its way and this time held onto the lead to win the tournament.
Rovigo showed some speed in this game, as it registered three inside-the-park-homeruns.
In this game, Euro Stars was able to hit only two basehits.
In the first at bat, Rovigo took an 1-0 lead when Roberta Boldrin hit an inside-the-park-homerun with one out off of Shomayra Franka, who again was the starting pitcher for Euro Stars.
In the second inning, Sara Temporin drove the ball into leftfield with one out.
There, leftfielder Eliza van 't Zelfde injured herself while going after the ball and that enabled Temporin to circle the bases with the second inside-the-park-homerun to double the lead for Rovigo.
But in the bottom of the second inning, Euro Stars struck with four runs, while hitting only one basehit.
With one out, Kimberley van der Lee singled, then both Kim van der Valk and Renske Jansen both walked to load the bases.
The first run was then scored when Anna Prins also walked.
Next, a passed ball led to two errors in the Rovigo-defense, enabling all three runners to score, giving Euro Stars a 4-2 lead.
Rovigo immediately re-took the lead by scoring three runs in the top of the third inning.
The Italian squad got the bases loaded when Daria Boldrin singled, Roberta Boldrin walked and Marta Pasqualini also singled.
Three following grounders then enabled the three runners to score.
First, Sara Monari grounded out, then Angela Albi reached on a fielder's choice and Giulia Ferrari's grounder produced the next run.
Rovigo scored its final run in the fifth inning.
With one out, Marta Pasqualini connected for the third inside-the-park-homerun to make it a 6-4 score.
Euro Stars got two more baserunners in the third inning.
With two outs, Davinia de Kwant was hit by a pitch and Kimberley van de Lee singled, but both stranded.
Hereafter, pitcher Sara Manari (who had taken over in the third) retired the next seven batters in a row.
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| Staranzano Stars - Euro Stars 7-6 (6 inn., tie-break) |
| R | H | E |
| Euro Stars | 100 | 041 | | - | 6 | 7 | 4 |
| Staranzano Stars | 021 | 202 | | - | 7 | 6 | 2 |
| (no outs when winning run was scored in bottom 6th inning) |
| pitchers Euro Stars | inn. | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Shomayra Franka | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Wendy van der Hoeven, L (1-1) | 2 (*) | - | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| (*) - Van der Hoeven pitched to four batters in the 6th inning) |
| pitchers Staranzano | inn. | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Teresa Cernecca | 4.2 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Veronica Comar, BS (1), W (1-0) | 1.1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | - |
Umpires: HP-, 1B-.
Scorer-Ingrid Ooms (Euro Stars).
Time-0:00 hr. |
|
| Euro Stars - Rovigo 4-6 (5 inn.) |
| R | H | E |
| Rovigo | 113 | 01 | | - | 6 | 7 | 2 |
| Euro Stars | 040 | 00 | | - | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| pitchers Rovigo | inn. | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Marta Pasqualini | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Sara Manari, W (1-0) | 3 | 4 | - | 1 | - | - |
| pitchers Euro Stars | inn. | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Shomayra Franka, L (0-1) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Wendy van der Hoeven | 2 | 1 | - | 3 | 1 | 1 |
Umpires: HP-, 1B-.
Scorer-Ingrid Ooms (Euro Stars).
Time-0:00 hr. |
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...The field in Porpetto where Euro Stars practiced... |
...The field in Ronchi Dei Legionari... |
...Davinia de Kwant hitting for Euro Stars... |
...And here, Kimberley van der Lee is in the batter's box... |
| (© All Above Photos courtesy of Euro Stars) |
...Tournament-winner Rovigo Softball...
...with the trophy after winning the event...
(© Photo courtesy of Rovigo Softball) |
...The team of Staranzano Stars at the field in Ronchi...
...before the tournament; standing at right is Marta Gasparotto...
(© Photo courtesy of Staranzano Softball) |
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Copyright © 1997-2015 Marco Stoovelaar / Grand Slam * Stats & News.
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