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(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Fred Versluis)
 Sparks Haarlem wins again; three veterans make comeback
Nederlands
 HAARLEM (Neth.) -
League-leader Oolders Omaco Sparks Haarlem won twice vs. FysioExpert Olympia Haarlem on Saturday (May 30) to remain unbeaten and extend its winning streak to 18 games.
Sparks Haarlem opened the double-header with a small 5-3 victory, then won bigger in Game 2 with a 9-1 score, thanks to four homeruns.
In today's double-header, three veteran-players made their comeback in the Dutch big league, including two former players of the Haarlem-squad.
In the opener, Kim Kluijskens played at her familiar position at first base.
In the second game, Marloes Fellinger was the designated player, while Margot Mels pitched the final inning of the 6-inning game.
Kim Kluijskens retired after the 2010 season, but then played in five regular season-games of Sparks Haarlem in 2013.
Marloes Fellinger had retired after the 2009 season, but she made three comebacks in the following years in the Sparks Haarlem-team, appearing in games in 2010, 2012 and 2013.
Margot Mels last full season in the Dutch big league was 1996 when she played for HCAW.
Hereafter, she played in a few more games for HCAW during the 1997 and 2002 seasons.
The pitcher then appeared in three games for DSC '74 in 2007 and eight more playing for Olympia Haarlem (the new name after DSC '74 merged with TYBB) in 2008.
With that, the 46-year old Mels today played in her first game at the highest level in seven years!
(May 30)
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Game 1
In the opener, Sparks Haarlem trailed 1-0 in the first inning.
Eva Voortman led off the game for Olympia Haarlem with a triple off of Kirsten Scheele, then scored on a following grounder by Dinet Oosting.
Next, Stephanie Tofft doubled, but she was left behind.
In the bottom of the first inning, Sparks Haarlem got two baserunners off of Eva Voortman.
With one out, Nathalie Gosewehr walked, then Kim Kluijskens singled in her first regular season at bat since August 3, 2013.
But the two runners stranded.
Sparks Haarlem then struck in the second inning, scoring five runs with two outs.
Manoa Weijgertse led off with a triple, then the next two batters were retired.
But then Kiki Draaijer singled to bring in the tying run.
The bases then got loaded when Chantal Versluis also singled and Nathalie Gosewehr was hit by a pitch.
Hereafter, Kim Kluijskens stepped up to the plate for her second at bat and this time, she belted a 2-run double.
A following single by Karin Tuk then accounted for the next two runs and lifted the lead to 5-1.
In the remainder of the game, Sparks Haarlem was held scoreless by Mariëlle Vleugels, who took over the pitching in the third inning.
In the fourth, the home team left two runners behind.
In the sixth, Sparks Haarlem got the bases loaded again.
With two outs, Kim Kluijskens hit her third basehit in the game, then Karin Tuk walked and Areke Spel reached on an error, but a force out ended the at bat.
Trailing 5-1, Olympia Haarlem narrowed the deficit by scoring two runs in the fifth inning.
After two force outs and Eva Voortman on first base, Dinet Oosting singled.
A double steal followed, then Stephanie Tofft was walked intentionally to set up another force play.
But hereafter, Mariëlle Vleugels followed with a single to bring in two runners.
Desiree Adriaansz then replaced Vleugels as pinch-runner, but she was caught stealing moments later.
In the sixth and seventh inning, Olympia Haarlem left a runner on first base and so, it ended up empty-handed.
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| O.O. Sparks Haarlem - F.E. Olympia Haarlem 5-3 (Game 1) |
| R | H | E |
| FysioExpert Olympia Haarlem | 100 | 020 | 0 | - | 3 | 9 | 2 |
| Oolders Omaco Sparks Haarlem | 050 | 000 | X | - | 5 | 10 | 0 |
| pitchers Olympia Haarlem | inn. | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Eva Voortman, L (5-4) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Mariëlle Vleugels | 4 | - | 1 | 4 | - | - |
| pitcher Sparks Haarlem | inn. | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Kirsten Scheele, W (8-0) | 7 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 3 |
Umpires: HP-Rob Veldkamp, 1B-Martin Lemstra.
Official Scorer-Alex van den Berg.
Play-by-Play Scorer-Hans Vleugels (Olympia Haarlem).
Public Address Announcer-Wouter Hoos.
Time-1:41 hr.
Game Notes:
Weather conditions at game time: Sunny, 12° C (53,6° F), western wind 32 kmh (19 mph), humidity 66%. |
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...Kirsten Scheele started both games today... | 
...Kim Kluijskens had three basehits in this game... |
...Manoa Weijgertse running at 3rd base... | 
...Nathalie Gosewehr with Head Coach Peter van Dalen... |
| (© All Photos: Fred Versluis) |
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Game 2
In the second wedstrijd, Olympia Haarlem again took an 1-0 lead in the first at bat.
Eva Voortman led off with a bunt-single off of Kirsten Scheele, who also pitched the first game.
She pitched in both games, as Dagmar Bloeming was not with the team today and Rebecca Soumeru is recovering from an injury.
Bloeming will begin her professional career soon in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), as is infielder Virginie Anneveld, who also was not with the team today.
Voortman advanced on a sac-bunt by Dinet Oosting, then scored on a 2-out double by Mariëlle Vleugels.
Sparks Haarlem immediately answered with two runs in its first at bat off of Rosanne de Vries, who recently completed her college-season in the USA.
With one out, the lefthander gave up a homerun to Nathalie Gosewehr.
Hereafter, Marloes Fellinger was the next batter.
Like Kim Kluijskens, she also last played for Sparks Haarlem in a regular season-game during the 2013 season.
Did Kluijskens hit a single in her first at bat in Game One, Fellinger doubled in her first big league at bat since August 31, 2013.
With two outs, Fellinger scored the go-ahead run when Maxime van Dalen singled.
Sparks Haarlem added two runs in the second inning.
Cindy van der Zanden led off with a single, then Chantal Versluis hit her third homerun of the season with out to make it a 4-1 score.
The next run was scored in the third inning off of new pitcher Eva Voortman when Karin Tuk led off and homered on her first pitch.
After scoring in the first inning, Olympia Haarlem left three runners in scoring position in the next three at bats.
In the second, Rosanne de Vries doubled with one out and moved on a grounder.
In the third, Dinet Oosting tripled with one out and stranded.
And in the fourth, De Vries doubled again, this time with two outs, and was left at second base.
In the bottom of the fourth, Sparks Haarlem scored another run.
Cindy van der Zanden and Kiki Draaijer began with singles and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Chantal Versluis.
The bases got loaded when Nathalie Gosewehr walked, then a run was scored on a grounder by Marloes Fellinger.
In the fifth inning, Olympia Haarlem left another runner in scoring position, then got the bases loaded in the sixth at bat.
Mariëlle Vleugels led off with a single and that led to a pitching change, as Margot Mels was brought in to relief Kirsten Scheele.
The veteran righthander hit pinch-hitter Desiree Adriaansz with a pitch.
After an infield-fly, then bases got loaded when Rosanne de Vries singled, but three runners were left behind, as a foul-out ended the at bat.
In the bottom of the sixth, Mariëlle Vleugels became the third pitcher for Olympia Haarlem.
With one out, she gave up a double to Chantal Versluis, who then scored on a 2-out single by Marloes Fellinger.
Hereafter, the game ended when Karin Tuk hit a walk-off, 2-run homerun to lift the lead to 9-1.
This was her second homerun of the game and her fourth of the season.
When Margot Mels entered the game in the sixth inning, it marked her first big league-appearance since 2008.
With her appearance today, Margot Mels has now played in four different decades.
She made her big league-debut in 1989 when her current teammates Maxime van Dalen, Kiki Draaijer, Manoa Weijgertse and Cindy van der Zanden weren't even born yet.
Of the other players with whom she played in today's game, the oldest was seven years old in 1989.
When Margot Mels made her debut, Chantal Versluis was just one year old and Karin Tuk was seven months old.
Oh, another fact, Margot Mels today pitched against the team for whom she last pitched in the big league in 2008.
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| O.O. Sparks Haarlem - F.E. Olympia Haarlem 9-1 (6 inn.) (Game 2) |
| R | H | E |
| FysioExpert Olympia Haarlem | 100 | 000 | | - | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| Oolders Omaco Sparks Haarlem | 221 | 103 | | - | 9 | 13 | 1 |
| (two outs when 7-run difference was reached in the 6th inning) |
| pitchers Olympia Haarlem | inn. | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Rosanne de Vries, L (0-1) | 2 | - | 1 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Eva Voortman | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| Mariëlle Vleugels | 0.2 | 1 | - | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| pitchers Sparks Haarlem | inn. | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Kirsten Scheele, W (9-0) | 5 (*) | 2 | - | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| Margot Mels | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | - |
| (*) - Scheele pitched to one batter in the 6th inning |
Homeruns: Sparks Haarlem: Nathalie Gosewehr (1)(1st,solo,off De Vries), Chantal Versluis (3)(2nd,2-run,off De Vries),
Karin Tuk 2 (4)(3rd,solo,off Voortman; 6th,2-run,off Vleugels). |
Umpires: HP-Martin Lemstra, 1B-Rob Veldkamp.
Official Scorer-Alex van den Berg.
Play-by-Play Scorer-Hans Vleugels (Olympia Haarlem).
Public Address Announcer-Wouter Hoos.
Time-1:35 hr.
Game Notes:
Weather conditions at game time: Sunny, 12° C (53,6° F), western wind 27 kmh (16 mph), humidity 65%.
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|
...Former player Debby Connor...
...looks on as spectator... | 
...Marloes Fellinger doubled...
...in her first at bat... | 
...Chantal Versluis scores after her homerun...
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...Cindy van der Zanden & Kiki Draaijer... | 
...Margot Mels makes her comeback... | 
...Karin Tuk hits a walk-off homerun... |
| (© All Photos: Fred Versluis) |
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Copyright © 1997-2015 Marco Stoovelaar / Grand Slam * Stats & News.
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