(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
 Sparks Haarlem eliminates Terrasvogels with small shutout
Nederlands
 HAARLEM (Neth.) -
Reigning champion Oolders Omaco Sparks Haarlem shutout Terrasvogels 2-0 in their Play-Off make-up game on Tuesday-evening (September 19).
Last year, the two teams faced each other in the then best-of-one Holland Series.
With the loss, Terrasvogels was eliminated for this years Holland Series and will finish in fourth place in the Play-Off Round.
With the win, Sparks Haarlem remains in the race for the Final, which this year will be a best-of-three.
Coming Thursday-evening, FysioExpert Olympia Haarlem meets Roef! in the last game of the Play-Offs.
When Olympia wins, both Olympia and Sparks will reach the Holland Series.
When Roef! wins, this will result in a 3-way tie between Olympia, Roef! and Sparks.
As the head-to-head results also will create a tie, the final score of Thursday's game then will be of influence for the Team Quality Balance, which will be the next tiebreaker.
On Tuesday-evening, Sparks Haarlem and Terrasvogels were equal to each other, but the first was somewhat more productive.
Monica Perry dominated as pitcher for Sparks Haarlem, striking out ten hitters.
In the first six innings, she allowed only one baserunner, which was Dervisa Mutic, who tripled in the fourth inning.
With a 2-0 lead, she gave up two hits with two outs in the top of the seventh, but then closed the game with a strikeout.
Micaela Whitney and Dani Bonnet threw for Terrasvogels and both also did fine.
Sparks Haarlem opened the score in the fourth when Maxime van Dalen walked and scored on a triple by Virginie Anneveld, just out of reach of rightfielder Jessica Waasdorp.
Two errors led to the second run in the next at bat.
There were interesting developments tonight in the Silver League Promotion Pool, as Birds and Euro Stars both won their first make-up game against the two Pool-leaders.
Euro Stars won 9-2 against Hoofddorp Pioniers, which is in first place and already claimed the championship.
Birds won in a highscoring game with 17-16 against De Glaskoning Twins, which was in second place.
With their victories, Euro Stars and Birds now are sharing second place with Twins.
Coming Thursday, these teams will meet each other again in make-up games, which will decide the final ranking.
Or not!
After the match-up between Birds and Twins, one of the two will be eliminated for second place.
However, when Euro Stars wins again, it will end up in a tie with either Birds or Twins in second place, meaning a tiebreaker-game is needed!
The team that finishes in second place will play in the Golden League/Silver League Promotion/Relegation Play-Off coming Saturday-afternoon in Moergestel.
In that game, the team meets DSS, which finished in sixth place in the Golden League.
The winner of that game meets Hoofddorp Pioniers on Sunday in Moergestel to determine a spot in next years Golden League.
Also still to be decided is fourth and fifth place in the Silver League Relegation Pool and the second place in the First Division.
On Wednesday and Thursday, Ban-Topa Future Stars meets UVV.
The first team is currently in last place in the Silver League, but still has a chance to finish in a tie with fourth-placed HCAW.
In that case, a tiebreaker-game is needed.
The team in fifth place relegates, the team in fourth place meets the number two from the First Division.
That game is also scheduled for coming Saturday in Moergestel with the winner advancing to Sunday's final against First Division-champion Gophers to decide one spot in next years Silver League.
Hilversum Hurricanes is currently in second place in the First Division and has no more games scheduled.
However, Quick Amersfoort is in third place and is only one point behind.
Quick will play a make-up game on Wednesday-evening in Meppel against Caribe.
When Quick wins, it will move into second place!
(complete recap of the Sparks Haarlem vs. Terrasvogels will be added soon)
(September 19)
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