(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos courtesy of Euro Stars & Carl Foppele)
 Euro Stars & Gryphons productive; Homeruns Krijgsman & Van Krevel
Nederlands
 ROSMALEN (Neth.) -
Gryphons and Euro Stars played two attractive exhibition games last Saturday (March 26) in Rosmalen.
Gryphons already had played a outdoor double-header a week earlier against UVV, but Euro Stars played their first outdoor exhibition games today.
In previous weeks, Euro Stars played an indoor-tournament in Hoboken (Belgium), then participated in the annual Pre-Season Tournament of Roef! last week.
...Olka Grzeszczak...
(© Photo: Euro Stars) |
Recently, Euro Stars announced that Polish National Team-player Aleksandra 'Olka' Grzeszczak will play for the team this full season.
She already played for the team during the international Indoor Cup in Schiedam in January, but then it wasn't clear yet whether she would be available in the upcoming season.
Euro Stars now has confirmed that she will be the entire season with the team.
Euro Stars produced two more runs than Gryphons today.
The opening game ended in a 6-6 tie, then Euro Stars won the second game with a 9-7 score.
But the highlights of the day came in the first game.
Game One
In the first game, Euro Stars opened the score with two runs.
Britt Amersfoort led off with a walk and scored on an one-out single by Eliza van 't Zelfde, who went on to score herself on a single by Anna Prins.
Gryphons answered with four runs in its first at bat.
Ellinor Keepers and Kim Donkers singled, then the bases got loaded when Maruja Isbouts was hit by a pitch.
Hereafter, Manya Krijgsman connected well and belted a grand slam homerun!
...Manya Krijgsman...
...grand slam homerun...
(© Photo: Carl Foppele) |
Euro Stars came alongside in the third inning.
With one out, Amy Gielen singled and scored on a following single by Eliza van 't Zelfde.
A single by Davinia de Kwant then accounted for the next run and made it a 4-4 score.
Gryphons left the bases loaded in the fourth inning, but then scored again in the fifth.
Jasmijn Besselink led off with a walk and scored on a 2-out single by Lieke Kapteijns.
Gryphons added another run in the sixth when Ellinor Keepers scored on a double by Kim Donkers.
The offensive highlight for Euro Stars then came in the top of the seventh inning.
With two outs and Eliza van 't Zelfde (fielder's choice) on first base, Tanisha van Krevel drove the ball into centerfield for a 2-run homerun.
And this not only was the first 'out-of-the-park-homerun' in her career, it also tied the score at 6-6!
...Tanisha van Krevel...
...with her first HR-ball...
(© Photo: Euro Stars) |
Aleksandra 'Olka' Grzeszczak, Britt Amersfoort and Shomayra Franka pitched for Euro Stars.
Lieke Kapteijns and Linda Hanegraaff threw for Gryphons.
Game Two
In the second game, Euro Stars also struck late in the game, scoring eight of its runs runs in the last three innings.
The team left the bases loaded in the first inning, then stranded another runner on third base in the next at bat.
A double by Shomayra Franka led to the first run for Euro Stars in the third.
An error led to two more runs in the fifth.
Euro Stars added two more runs in the sixth.
Amy Gielen then led off with a single and scored on an one-out double by Olka Grzeszczak.
A double by Eliza van 't Zelfde then produced the next run.
Euro Stars decided the game with a 4-run rally in the seventh inning.
Shomayra Franka led off with her second double in the game, then scored on a following double by Kim van der Vlak.
A single by Tanisha van Krevel then led to the next run.
Davinia de Kwant then also singled.
A double-steal situation and a wild pitch accounted for the next two runs and the win for Euro Stars.
In this game, Lisa de Vries and Shomayra Franka threw for Euro Stars and Jasmijn Besselink and Linda van Dijk for Gryphons.
(March 28)
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