(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Fred Versluis)
 Sparks Haarlem opens exhibition season with two wins vs. Quick Amersfoort
Nederlands
 HAARLEM (Neth.) -
Sparks Haarlem won twice against Quick Amersfoort in a double-header on Saturday-afternoon (April 17), which opened the exhibition season for both teams.
Sparks Haarlem won 10-1 and 7-2.
It was agreed beforehand that both teams would last six innings.
In the opener, Sparks Haarlem was initially silenced by lefthander Eva Voortman, who this season makes her comeback in the highest league.
After the 2019 season, Voortman transfered from Olympia Haarlem to Neptunus, with whom she last year played in the second highest league (then called Silver League).
She then moved from that team to Quick Amersfoort after last season.
Eva Voortman dominated in the four innings she pitched.
The lefthander struckout ten batters and allowed no basehits.
She even didn't allow a batter to reach base.
Quick Amersfoort had taken an 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning off of starter Kirsten Scheele.
Nicky Uytendaal then doubled and scored on a single by Laura Wissink.
However, Quick was unable to take more distance and this remained the lone run the team scored.
Caressa Schoor took over from Scheele in the fifth and threw two scoreless innings.
The game turned around in the bottom of the fifth when Vera de Boer took over the pitching for Quick.
Sparks Haarlem then rallied for four runs and added six more runs in the fifth at bat.
After being held hitless, the team collected eight basehits in the final two innings.
Lorraine Kieft and Denice van Dijk both homered for Sparks Haarlem.
In the second game, Sparks Haarlem led from the beginning, but also decided the game late.
Richelle van Gennip (four innings) and Eva Voortman (two) pitched for Quick.
American lefthander Rachel Henks started for Sparks and threw four innings, then Caressa Schoor also completed this game by throwing the final two innings.
Bob Gieskens and Daniel Bouman were the umpires in this double-header.
Coming Saturday, Sparks Haarlem will play a double-header at Hoofddorp Pioniers.
Quick Amersfoort then plays two games at home against Roef!.
(April 17)
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