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(Story & Photos by Marco Stoovelaar)
 Twins shuts out Zwijndrecht in exhibition opener
Nederlands
 OOSTERHOUT (Neth.) -
Twins opened its exhibition season on a very cold Saturday, March 14 at home with a 10-0 shutout-win vs. Zwijndrecht.
Twins also had a double-header scheduled for Saturday, March 7 vs. DSS.
But that was cancelled due to sad circumstances, as Gerard Aerts, a beloved member of the club and the trainer of the baseball-team, unexpectedly had passed away on March 1 at age 62.
On March 7 was the memorial service for 'Big G', as he was nicknamed within the club.
Last season, Twins finished in first place of the second highest league ('Overgangsklasse').
The team from Oosterhout finished six points (3 games) ahead of Tex Town Tigers.
Amsterdam Pirates and HCAW completed the top-4.
By finishing in first and second place, Twins and Tex Town Tigers clinched a spot in the Qualifying Round for the new Golden League, which this season will be the highest league in the newly created Dutch National Softball League.
Unfortunately for Twins, the team wasn't successful in this 10-game, 6-team pool of which the top-3 would qualify for the Golden League.
Twins ended up in fifth place, while Tex Town Tigers ended in a tie for third place with UVV.
A week later, Tex Town Tigers won an one-game play-off against UVV to promote, while UVV relegated from the big league.
DSS and Alcmaria Victrix finished in first and second place respectively to stay in the highest division, which will be named Golden League from this season on.
Zwijndrecht finished in first place of the First Division (then the third highest league) last season.
With this, the team promoted to the new Silver League (which now will be the new second highest league), along with Almere '90.
Both teams underwent some changes after completion of last season.
...Daisy de Peinder will be the Head Coach...
...again at Twins this season...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
Twins will be led again by Head Coach Daisy de Peinder, who will be assisted by Frank Zaal.
For this season, the team from Oosterhout added six players to its roster, including three Belgians.
Outfielder Sandy Lauwers returns to the team where she already had played for nine seasons.
She didn't play last year after initially having announced her retirement after completing the 2013 season with Gryphons, where she also had played in 2009.
Catcher Kelly De Lannoy joined Twins after having played for Gryphons last season.
Last year, she also played for Borgerhout Squirrels in the highest Belgian league.
The third Belgian player is 16-year old short stop/outielder Kate Geldof, who was added to the team coming from the club's own youth programme, where she played for the junior-squad last season.
Also transfering from Gryphons to Twins was catcher/infielder Mandy van Alebeek.
Pitcher/1B Sheila van der Tang came from Euro Stars and short stop/catcher Minke Blok came from Zwijndrecht, meaning she played against her former teammates today.
Twins saw infielder Damishah Charles leave to play for reigning Dutch champion Oolders Omaco Sparks Haarlem, while infielder/outfielder Britt Remmers opted to play for Almere '90.
Like Twins and Zwijndrecht, Almere '90 also will play in the Silver League this season.
Zwijndrecht added four new players after last season, including catcher/infielder Laura Zuidam (Euro Stars) and infielder Sophia Verhoeven (Domstad Dodgers).
The latter originally played for Roef!, before transfering to the Dodgers.
Coming from Belgium is pitcher/outfielder Themis Claes, who last season played for Second Divisionist Deurne Spartans.
Making a comeback in softball is pitcher/outfielder Jennifer van der Zanden, who hasn't played in the past four years due to injuries.
She last played in 2011 for Blue Hitters.
But Zwijndrecht also lost some experience, as veteran players Angela Verkerk and Nancy van der Ham both retired, but will remain playing on a lower level within the club.
Daniëlle Janssen retired due to an injury.
Two other players left to play elsewhere.
Michelle Bruijn returned to Caribe in the northern city of Groningen, due to work there.
Minke Blok (as mentioned) now plays for Twins.
In 2010 and 2012, she participated with the Netherlands Women Baseball Team in the World Championship in Venezuela and Canada, respectively.
Head Coach Rob van der Linden resigned after last season.
He was succeeded by Michael Zwitzer, who also was with the team last year.
In other games today, Euro Stars played a mini double-header at home against Almere '90. (Recap of these games)
In Rosmalen, Gryphons played its first exhibition game and lost to BioSilk Quick Red Caps in an 8-inning contest.
No details of this game are available (yet).
Following today's game, Twins had a double-header scheduled for Saturday, March 21 at HCAW, but that was cancelled due to the cold weather conditions.
It's next games are a double-header on Saturday, March 28 at Euro Stars.
Zwijndrecht's next scheduled games were on Saturday, March 21 in a double-header against Centrals. (Recap of this game)
(March 14)
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In today's game, which lasted eight innings, only one run was scored in the first six at bats.
Twins then rallied for nine runs in the seventh to make it a 10-0 score.
In the first six innings, Zwijndrecht outhit Twins 6-3, but was unable to score, while the home team took an 1-0 lead in the third at bat.
...Femke Duffhues was one of the two pitchers for Twins today...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
In the first inning, Shauni Thys (with one out) and Sandy Lauwers (with two outs) both walked, but were left behind.
In the second at bat, lead-off hitter Noor Godefroy was hit by a pitch, stole second base and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Tammie Lijbers, but also stranded.
Twins then opened the score in the third inning off of Zwijndrecht-starter Chantal Fehling.
With one out, Femke Duffhues reached on an infield-hit, then advanced on a wild pitch and scored when next batter Shauni Thys reached on an error.
In the next three innings, Twins reached base only twice off of new pitcher Denise Theulings.
In the fourth inning, Tammie Lijbers doubled with two outs, but stranded.
In the fifth, Femke Duffhues singled with two outs, but was left at first base.
In the meantime, Femke Duffhues and Sheila van der Tang combined on six scoreless innings.
The first threw the first three innings.
She gave up a 2-out single to Kelsey Huijzers in the first inning, but a grounder then ended the at bat.
In the fourth, Laura Zuidam singled, but was forced out on a grounder by Sophia Verhoeven, who then also was leeft behind.
In the fourth inning, Sheila van der Tang took over and began with a strikeout.
Hereafter, Kelsey Huijzers registered her second basehit and was safe on a fielder's choice-grounder by Michelle van Bodegom.
A double-steal then failed, as the first was thrown out at third base.
But Zwijndrecht then got the bases loaded when Claudia Kranendonk walked and Dayenne Sluijter singled.
However, the three runners were left behind als Sheila van der Tang ended the threat with a strikeout.
She added two more strikeouts in the next inning with a runner on first base.
In the sixth, Femke Duffhues took over again to throw the next two innings.
With two outs, she walked Claudia Kranendonk and gave up a single to Dayenne Sluijter, but finished with a strikeout.
In both the seventh and eighth inning, the Twins-defense turned a double play to support their pitchers.
Twins struck with nine runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, but only one of those runs were earned.
Kelsey Huijzers took over the pitching for Zwijndrecht and walked lead-off hitter Noor Godefroy, who then stole second base.
Grounders by Tammie Lijbers and Sheila van der Tang then brought her across the plate.
With two outs, the bases got loaded.
Kate Geldof singled, Mandy van Alebeek walked and Femke Duffhues was hit by a pitch.
However, the run-threat could have been over on the next play, but an error on a grounder by Shauni Thys led to the next run and kept the bases loaded.
And then the scoring really started.
Lieke Duffhues first cleared the bases with a 3-run triple.
After walks for Sandy Lauwers and Minke Blok re-loaded the bases, a single by Noor Godefroy accounted for the next two runs.
Tammie Lijbers followed with another runscoring single and a double-steal situation brought in the next run, before the inning finally ended with a grounder.
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| Twins - Zwijndrecht 10-0 (7½ inn.) |
| R | H | E |
| Zwijndrecht | 000 | 000 | 00 | - | 0 | 7 | 2 |
| Twins | 001 | 000 | 9X | - | 10 | 7 | 0 |
| pitchers Zwijndrecht | inn. | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Chantal Fehling, L (0-1) | 3 | - | 2 | 1 | 1 | - |
| Denise Theulings | 3 | 3 | - | 2 | - | - |
| Kelsey Huijzers | 1 | - | 4 | 4 | 9 | 1 |
| pitchers Twins | inn. | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Femke Duffhues, W (1-0) | 3 | - | - | 2 | - | - |
| Sheila van der Tang, H (1) | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | - | - |
| Femke Duffhues | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | - |
| Sheila van der Tang | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | - |
Umpires: HP-Mariana Prins-Atanasova, 1B-Patrick Reus.
Scorer-Patty Lijbers (Twins).
Time-0:00 hr. |
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Copyright © 1997-2015 Marco Stoovelaar / Grand Slam * Stats & News.
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