...Marieke Jansen and Judith van Kampen...
(© Photo: Fred Versluis) |
For the first game on Saturday, DSS had added three former (National Team-)players to its roster, being outfielders Nathalie Gosewehr and Areke Spel and pitcher Judith van Kampen.
Today, Gosewehr was not with the team.
However, another former player was back in uniform, being outfielder Marieke Jansen, who also is a former National Team-player.
Spel today was the centerfielder and batted 0-for-5.
Van Kampen pitched in relief and Jansen was used as a pinch-runner and scored what would be the winning run.
For both Judith van Kampen and Marieke Jansen, this was their first game at the big league-level since 2008!
39-year old Van Kampen played ten seasons in the big league for HCAW, Terrasvogels and Sparks Haarlem.
40-year old Jansen played 14 seasons at the highest level for Terrasvogels.
In 2008, Van Kampen last played in a Holland Series with Sparks Haarlem, while Jansen had played in her last Holland Series the year before with Terrasvogels.
DSS immediately got into scoring position in the top of the first inning off of starter Mandy van der Maas.
With one out, Annemiek de Rover doubled and with two outs, Morgan Sampson walked, but they were left behind.
DSS then opened the score with two outs in the second inning, but again left two runners behind.
With one out, Lisette Untied walked and she moved to third base on a 2-out single by Dominique Burger.
Czech player Anetta Prokopenková then also singled to give DSS the lead.
With runners on second and third base, the at bat ended when a line drive by Annemiek de Rover ended in a great diving catch by leftfielder Daniëlle ten Donkelaar.
DSS doubled its lead in the third inning.
Lead-off hitter Mariah Jameyson was hit by a pitch, moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Morgan Sampson, then scored on an one-out single by Sophie Bugter.
In the fourth inning, DSS added two more runs.
With one out, Dominique Burger singled and scored on a triple by Anetta Prokopenková.
A pitching change followed, as Maja Kouwenhoven took over from Mandy van der Maas.
She was greeted with a sacrifice fly from Annemiek de Rover, which lifted the lead to 4-0.
Hereafter, Mariah Jameyson singled and Morgan Sampson walked.
The two moved on a wild pitch, but stranded when a strikeout ended the at bat.
With a 4-0 lead, DSS appeared to be en route to a comfortable win, but that changed in the next two innings, as Amsterdam Pirates came alongside.
After being retired in order in the first inning by starter Anna-Bè Bartels, Amsterdam got on base in the second at bat.
With one out, Babette Kouwenhoven singled, but was forced out.
In the third inning, Maja Kouwenhoven reached on an error.
Hereafter, Stacey Groot grounded to 2B Dominique Burger, who ran towards the runner, then threw the ball to first base to eliminate Groot.
While approaching the runner, Burger didn't appear to tag Kouwenhoven, who ran somewhat out of her baseline.
A discussion followed, the umpires got together, Kouwenhoven was called out and so, the DSS-defense had turned a double play.
Trailing 4-0, Amsterdam Pirates scored twice with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Before the start of the at bat, there was an injury delay, as DSS-short stop Morgan Sampson hobbled somewhat.
She appeared to have a foot or leg-injury, but was unable to continue.
Afterwards, Morgan Sampson stated that she is bothered by a foot-injury for awhile and that she felt something like a cramp in her leg.
With two outs, Daniëlle ten Donkelaar reached on an error, then moved to third base when an outfield-error followed a single by Babette Kouwenhoven.
The two runners scored when Jeske Meewisse lined the ball through the left side of the infield.
Amsterdam got its next baserunner when another error followed on a grounder by Sophie van Oostvoorn.
With runners on first and second base, Maja Kouwenhoven lined the ball to short stop Morgan Sampson, who caught the ball with her glove on the ground.
It was not clear whether she had caught the ball or that it had touched the ground first.
Home Plate Umpire Britt Nielandt signaled (pointing to the ground) that it was no catch.
A throwing error towards first base followed and Pirates added another run.
Another discussion followed and the umpires got together again.
Thereafter, the line drive by Kouwenhoven was ruled a catch, meaning the last run was annulled and the inning ended.
...DSS-player Annemiek de Rover has received her...
...softball-certificate for this season from longtime...
...softball-fan José van Hardenbroek after the game...
(© Photo: Fred Versluis) |
After DSS had stranded two runners in the top of the fifth inning, Amsterdam Pirates came alongside in its fifth at bat.
Stacey Groot led off with a single and moved into scoring position via a sacrifice bunt by Jessie Rodermans.
With two outs, Dana Rodermans singled, which not only resulted in runners on second and third base, but also in a pitching change.
Judith van Kampen was brought in, but the veteran righthander was greeted with a 2-run single by Daniëlle ten Donkelaar, which tied the score.
A somewhat weird moment followed when Rodermans scored the tying run.
There appeared to be no illegal actions, as Rodermans slid besides catcher Lorraine Kieft, who tried to tag her.
However, a safe-call was followed by an out-call, then an extended decision, making it a safe-call after all, due to obstruction.
A pop-fly ended the at bat, but the game appeared to have turned the way of Amsterdam Pirates.
In the top of the sixth inning, Morgan Sampson singled with two outs for DSS.
After reaching first base, she was replaced by pinch-runner Elise Ooms, but she stranded on first base.
Sampson, still bothered by the injury, returned in the bottom of the sixth via the re-entry rule.
In the bottom of the sixth, Amsterdam got the bases loaded, but a line drive catch then saved the game for DSS.
With two outs, Amsterdam got the bases loaded when Judith van Kampen walked Maja Kouwenhoven, Stacey Groot and Jessie Rodermans.
With three runners on base, Anna-Bè Bartels returned in the pitching circle.
Van Kampen was clearly not satisfied with her pitching performance, avoided making high-fives with some waiting teammates and walked straight into the dug-out.
With that, Van Kampen underscored that she still has the same playing style as in the past.
That means that she can be angry at herself when things are not going well.
With the bases loaded, Rosalie Moerkerk made good contact on the fifth delivery from Bartels and hit a line drive, which was caught by 3B Lisette Untied.
And that ended the inning!
When the ball would have gone through into leftfield, Amsterdam Pirates would have scored at least two runs and probably would have won the game.
In the top of the seventh inning, DSS stranded a runner on first base.
In the bottom of the seventh, Amsterdam left a runner behind on second base.
And so, the game went into extra innings.
...Morgan Sampson...
...8th inning homerun...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
In the top of the eighth inning, veteran player Marieke Jansen entered the game as pinch-runner and tie-break runner for DSS.
She went on to score the go-ahead run when Anetta Prokopenková led off with a single.
The Czech player advanced to second base on the throw to the plate, then moved to third base on a sacrifice bunt by Annemiek de Rover and scored on a wild pitch.
With two outs, a dramatic moment followed, which was one of the highlights of the game!
Injured Morgan Sampson connected well on a 2-0 pitch and drilled the ball over the fence in left-centerfield for a homerun!
That made it a Kirk Gibson-moment.
While being injured to both legs the wellknown Major Leaguer hit a pinch-hit, 2-out, walk-off homerun for Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series against Oakland Athletics.
Gibson hobbled around the bases.
This is often described as one of the most inconic moments in World Series-history.
The Dodgers went on to win the Series.
Coincidentally, on Monday (October 15), it is 30 years ago that Gibson hit his famous homerun.
Like Gibson, Morgan Sampson hobbled around the bases to score, but her homerun not only raised the lead to 7-4, it added an insurance run and almost surely was the deciding moment in the game.
It was the first homerun in her big league-career!
In the bottom of the eighth, with DSS now leading 7-4, Sampson left the game and was replaced as short stop by Melissa de Greef.
Amsterdam Pirates managed to add one more run.
With tie-break runner Jeske Meewisse on second base, Sophie van Oostvoorn walked.
The two moved on a grounder by Maja Kouwenhoven, then Meewisse scored on a grounder by Stacey Groot.
Van Oostvoorn stranded on third base, as a foul-out ended the game.
And so, despite having made four defensive errors, DSS left the field victorious and will play again in the Golden League next year.
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DSS secures spot in Golden League after winning thriller vs. Amsterdam Pirates
HAARLEM (Neth.) -
DSS maintained its stay in the Golden League by winning an 8-inning thriller against Amsterdam Pirates on Sunday (October 14).
DSS led 4-0, but Amsterdam came alongside to force extra innings.
DSS then scored three runs in the eighth inning, highlighted by a homerun from Morgan Sampson, to win 7-5 in Game 2 and with that, it won the best-of-three Promotion/Relegation Series, 2-0.
In the Series-opener on Saturday, Amsterdam Pirates took an early 1-0 lead, but DSS answered with three runs and turned the game it way en route to a 7-3 victory.
The games were played at the site of FysioExpert Olympia Haarlem, which this year was awarded the organization of the Season Finals.
Game 2, best-of-three Promotion/Relegation Series; DSS wins 2-0.