For today's game, DSS had added three former (National Team-)players to its roster, being outfielders Nathalie Gosewehr and Areke Spel and pitcher Judith van Kampen.
Gosewehr and Spel also made some appearances in the team during the regular season.
Gosewehr played in seven games, hitting .190 (4-for-21) with a homerun, 4 runs scored and 2 RBI's.
Spel played in five games, hitting .500 (4-for-8) with a double, 5 runs scored and 3 RBI's.
Van Kampen was not on the roster during the regular season.
In today's game, Gosewehr was the lead-off hitter and designated player and was 0-for-3, but she walked and scored the tying run in the first inning.
Spel had a pinch-hit appearance in the sixth inning and then struckout.
Van Kampen did not play.
Van Kampen was added to the roster as a back-up pitcher.
Australian pitcher Stephanie Trzcinski was not available due to an injury.
The righthander, who was with the team in the dug-out, was 13-6 in the regular season with a league-best 1.90 ERA.
She also led the Golden League with 143 strikeouts and 13 wins and was second with 125 1/3 inning pitched.
During the season, Trzcinski went to the USA to play professionally in the National Pro Fastpitch, but she returned to DSS when that season had ended.
Trzcinski last pitched for DSS on September 9 in a make-up game against Tex Town Tigers.
In that game, she left with a shoulder-injury.
It was later diagnosed that she had a torn ligament at her right collar bone and was out for the season.
Earlier in the season, DSS used two American pitchers Jessica Elliott and Savannah Seigneur, who both arrived in May.
Seigneur only would be with the team through July.
Elliott broke two teeth during a fall and returned to the USA.
Besides this, earlier in the season, DSS lost outfielder Eva Rendlová, who broke her arm when she was hit by a pitch while playing in her home country Czech Republic.
In the remainder of the regular season, Head Coach Norman Ames added several youth-players to the team to fill in as pitchers and in other positions.
Also added was Czech outfielder Anette Prokopenková, while the above mentioned Nathalie Gosewehr and Areke Spel also played several times.
This weekend, DSS also has to do without infielder Jenny Kinburn, who returned to Curaçao two weeks ado due to family circumstances.
Kinburn led the team with a .333 batting average and 15 runs scored.
Also not with the team is pitcher/infielder Dominique Sprengers, who had to return to the USA due to study-reasons.
Infielders Sophie Bugter and Morgan Sampson both were bothered with injuries, but were able to play.
This season, Sampson was the team's second best hitter with a .293 batting average, led with 34 basehits and seven doubles and shared the lead with 15 runs scored.
Before the start of the game, the ceremonial first pitch was thrown by Tessa Philippo, youth-player of host Olympia Haarlem.
Amsterdam Pirates opened the score in the top of the first inning off of Anna-Bè Bartels, who in 2013 and 2014 played for the Amsterdam-team in the second highest league.
The righthander walked the first two batters she faced, Jessie Rodermans and Rosalie Moerkerk.
A tricky grounder towards second base from Dana Rodermans followed.
It initially appeared that everyone would be safe, which then would have loaded the bases.
And that of course would have created a big scoring opportunity for Pirates.
However, 2B Dominique Burger made a nice (and important) play, fielding the ball in front on second base and being able to force out Moerkerk at second base.
Moments later, Dana Rodermans stole second base, then the two runners were unable to advance on a grounder.
The bases got loaded when Bartels also walked Danielle ten Donkelaar.
Hereafter, the righthander uncorked a wild pitch, enabling all runners to advance, giving Pirates an 1-0 lead.
With runners on second and third base, Jeske Meewisse was the next hitter.
She is a solid hitter with power, who played the past three seasons in the Golden League for Terrasvogels.
But Meewisse grounded out to short stop Morgan Sampson to end the inning.
...Jessie Rodermans opens the score for Pirates on a wild pitch...
...in the 1st inning, as watched by HP Umpire Bob Gieskens...
(© Photo: Jan Kruijdenberg) |
DSS answered with three runs in its first at bat off of righthander Maja Kouwenhoven.
She also began with a walk for lead-off hitter Nathalie Gosewehr, who moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Annemiek de Rover.
Gosewehr then showed that she still is a speedy runner, scoring the tying run on a triple by American Mariah Jameyson, who then scored herself on a following double by Morgan Sampson.
With two outs, Sampson scored the next run on a single by Lisette Untied.
In the second inning, Amsterdam got into scoring position again, but was unable to score.
With one out, Stacey Groot reached on a single and with two outs, Jessie Rodermans doubled, but they stranded.
DSS added a run in its second at bat, but also left the bases loaded.
With one out, Melissa de Greef walked.
With two outs, the bases got loaded when Annemiek de Rover singled and Mariah Jameyson walked.
A following walk for Morgan Sampson then made it a 4-1 score, before the inning ended with a strikeout, leaving three runners behind.
In the first two innings, the two starting pitchers had walked seven batters, Anna-Bè Bartels three and Maja Kouwenhoven four.
This might have raised some questions, as a delay followed at the start of the third inning when DSS Head Coach Norman Ames had a discussion with the umpires in the pitching circle.
It appeared that the pitchers had thrown the first two innings on the men softball-distance (14.02 m / 46 feet), instead of the women softball-distance (13.11 m / 43 ft).
In a situation like this, it is not possible to declare the already played innings invalid and replay them.
According to the rules, the error of an incorrect distance has to be corrected at the start of a full inning after which the game resumes.
Technical Commissioners André Prins and Wout Isbouts looked at the situation and brought in the groundscrew.
After a 5-minute delay, the distance was corrected and the game continued.
However, the question remains, why didn't the pitchers felt something was wrong with the distance at the start of the game while throwing their warm-up pitches.
In the bottom of the third inning, DSS took some more distance, adding two runs.
Lisette Untied led off with a walk, moved on a sacrifice bunt by Dominique Burger and scored on a double by Lorraine Kieft.
The latter then scored the next run on a single by Melissa de Greef, which led to a pitching change, as Mandy van der Maas took over.
In July, the righthander participated with the Netherlands Under-22 Team in the European Championship in Trnava (Slovakia).
She retired the next two players, but DSS now led 6-1.
In the fourth, with two outs, Sophie Bugter homered for DSS.
For Bugter, who made her debut in the highest division in 2010, this was her first homerun at the big league-level.
A remarkable fact, especially since she is playing throughout the season with a hernia.
The Haarlem-team also got into scoring position in the next two at bats.
In the fifth, lead-off hitter Lorraine Kieft was hit by a pitch, then Melissa de Greef doubled.
But hereafter, a grounder by Nathalie Gosewehr resulted in a reversed double play.
First, Gosewehr was eliminated at first base, then Kieft was eliminated at the plate, trying to score.
During the play at the plate, catcher Jeske Meewisse was hit on her head by the sliding Kieft, but was able to continue playing.
In the sixth, with one out, Morgan Sampson reached on an error.
With two outs, Lisette Untied doubled, but the two stranded when pinch-hitter Areke Spel struckout.
Amsterdam Pirates also got several baserunners from the fourth inning on, but added only two more runs.
In the fourth, Jeske Meewisse led off with a single and moved on a sacrifice bunt by Sophie van Oostvoorn.
A throwing error on a grounder by Stacey Groot led to runners at the corners, but they were left behind.
With two outs in the fifth, Amsterdam scored its second run.
Babette Kouwenhoven then walked and scored on a double by Daniëlle ten Donkelaar.
She has big league-experience having played for Tex Town Tigers and the Talent Team Holland.
This year, Ten Donkelaar, who also is a pitcher, participated in two European Championships, one with the Netherlands Under-22 Team and one with the Netherlands Under-19 Team.
In the sixth, Amsterdam lead-off hitter Sophie van Oostvoorn reached on an error, but was forced out on a grounder by Stacey Groot.
Hereafter, pinch-hitter Iris Hooijer appeared to hit a basehit into rightfield.
However, rightfielder Lisette Untied got the ball in time at second base to force out Groot.
With that, Hooijer reached base on a fielder's choice.
In the top of the seventh inning, Amsterdam Pirates scored its final run.
Lead-off hitter Rosalie Moerkerk reached second base on an error.
She was then unable to advance when DSS-rightfielder Lisette Untied made a nice shoestring/running catch on a hit by Dana Rodermans
Moments later, Moerkerk moved on a wild pitch and scored on an one-out grounder by Babette Kouwenhoven.
But that was to be it for Amsterdam Pirates today.
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DSS wins first game Promotion/Relegation Series vs. Amsterdam Pirates
HAARLEM (Neth.) -
DSS opened the best-of-three Promotion/Relegation Series against Amsterdam Pirates on Saturday (October 13) with a 7-3 victory.
Game 2 will be played on Sunday, followed by the third game when needed.
Game 1, best-of-three Promotion/Relegation Series; DSS leads 1-0.