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(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photo by Henk Seppen & Marco Stoovelaar)
   Netherlands Softball Team closes Second Round EC with two more wins
Nederlands
 BARCELONA (Spain) -
The Netherlands Softball Team closed the Second Round of the European Championship in Spain on Wednesday (July 27) with two more victories to remain unbeaten.
Today, the Orange Team began with its fifth mercy-rule victory in a row, winning 12-0 in 3½ inning against Slovakia.
In the afternoon, the Netherlands won 7-2 against hosting country Spain.
The Netherlands Team opened the event on Sunday with a 7-0 shutout-win against Germany in the First round.
On Monday, team opened the Second Round with a 7-0 win against the Czech Republic.
And on Tuesday, the Netherlands first recorded a big 16-0 victory in 2½ inning against Poland and saw Jessie van Aalst throw a 3-inning No-Hitter.
In the late afternoon, the Netherlands played its next game against Greece and won 8-1 in five innings.
With today's results, the Netherlands finished in first place in Pool F, followed by the Czech Republic and Spain.
These three teams now advance to the Final Round (Pool X).
They are joined by the three best teams of Pool E, being Great Britain, Italy and Israel.
Great Britain ended up in first place after recording a surprise 2-1 win against Italy today.
On Thursday, the Netherlands will play its first two games in Pool X, both in Sant Boi de Llobregat.
First, the team will play against Great Britain (1:30 PM), then against Italy (8:15 PM).
On Friday, the Orange Team meets Israel, also in Sant Boi, starting at 6:00 PM.
The two best teams of Pool X will face each other in the Final on Saturday.
Day 4 of the European Championship was another long day.
Today, nineteen games were scheduled.
Two games started a 9 AM, one in Barcelona and one in Sant Boi de Llobregat.
Again, there were some long games.
In Viladecans, the game between Türkiye and Finland took three hours and 43 minutes to complete!
Finland won with a 24-22 score.
With that, the final game there between Denmark and Austria of course started late and ended after midnight at 0:07 AM.
Austria won 12-2 in five innings, but there was a scary moment with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Mathilde Nielsen then hit a line drive back to pitcher Martina Lackner.
The veteran righthander barely avoided being hit and was able to complete the game.
Moments later, a force play ended the game in which Dutch umpire Bianca Dweelaard was behind the plate.
(July 27)
Other scores today:
Pool E (Championship Round Qualifier): Italy vs. France 10-0 (4 inn.); Germany vs. Ireland 9-2 (4½ inn.); Italy vs. Great Britain 1-2; Israel vs. Ireland 2-1; France vs. Great Britain 1-11 (4 inn.); Israel vs. Germany 13-1 (3½ inn.).
Pool F (Championship Round Qualifier): Czech Republic vs. Greece 7-0 (5 inn.); Poland vs. Greece 0-6; Czech Republic vs. Poland 10-0 (4 inn.); Spain vs. Slovakia 8-3.
Pool G (13th-21st place): Croatia vs. Türkiye 14-0 (3½ inn.); Denmark vs. Switzerland 8-21 (4 inn.); Ukraine vs. Belgium 6-2; Austria vs. Finland 17-0 (2½ inn.); Malta vs. Switzerland 0-13 (5 inn.); Türkiye vs. Finland 22-24; Denmark vs. Austria 2-12 (5 inn.).
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Netherlands vs. Slovakia
In the first game today against Slovakia, the Netherlands Team recorded another convincing victory, thanks to two rallies, scoring six runs in the first and five in the third at bat.
The team collected only six basehits, but there also were four Slovak errors, as well as seven walks.
Jessie van Aalst started for the Netherlands and struckout three of the four batters she faced in the top of the first inning.
With one out, a batter reached on an error, but the lefthander then followed with two more strikeouts.
...Jessie van Aalst...
...Winning Pitcher...
...2 Hits, 3 Runs, 3 RBI's...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
The Orange Team then struck with six runs in the bottom of the first inning off of Klaudia Mihálková, who went the distance for Slovakia.
She began with walks for Damishah Charles and Brenda Beers, who both scored when an error was made on a following grounder by Jessie van Aalst.
With one out, Dinet Oosting also walked.
Moments later, Van Aalst scored when an error followed a single by Laura Wissink.
Lizzie Clarijs followed with a runscoring single.
That brought in Oosting and moved Wissink to third base, who then scored the next run on the throw back to the infield.
The sixth run in the at bat was scored on a sacrifice fly by Suka Van Gurp.
One Orange-run was added in the second at bat.
With one out, Jessie van Aalst doubled and scored when an error followed a grounder by Cindy van der Zanden in an attempt to make a double play.
In the third inning, the Netherlands rallied for five runs.
Again, the at bat began with two walks, this time for Laura Wissink and Lizzie Clarijs.
The two advanced on a flyout, then scored on a double by Annemiek Jansen.
With two outs, Brenda Beers walked and this time, Jessie van Aalst followed with a 2-run single.
The latter moved into scoring position on a single by Cindy van der Zanden and scored when an error was made on a pop-fly by Dinet Oosting.
As pitcher, Jessie van Aalst added two more strikeouts in an one-two-three second inning.
Slovakia then came closest to a run in the top of the third inning.
With one out, Dorota Reháčková reached on an infield-hit.
After another strikeout, she moved to second base on a comeback infield-hit by Ivana Petergáčová.
Hereafter, Lenka Gunišová also singled.
Reháčková was waved home, but was eliminated at the plate on a throw from centerfielder Brenda Beers.
And that ended the at bat.
In the top of the fourth inning, Mariëlle Vleugels pitched for the Netherlands.
She retired the side and closed the game with a strikeout.
Playing for the Netherlands in this game were Damishah Charles (SS), Brenda Beers (CF), Jessie van Aalst (DP-SP-DP), Cindy van der Zanden (RF), Dinet Oosting (1B), Laura Wissink (C), Lizzie Clarijs (3B), Suka Van Gurp (2B), Annemiek Jansen (LF) and Mariëlle Vleugels (Flex Player-RP).
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| Netherlands - Slovakia 12-0 (3½ inn.) |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | | R | H | E |
| Slovakia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | | - | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Netherlands | 6 | 1 | 5 | X | | | | - | 12 | 6 | 1 |
| pitcher Slovakia | inn. | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Klaudia Mihálková, L (1-1) | 3 | - | 7 | 6 | 12 | 7 |
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| pitchers Netherlands | inn. | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Mariëlle Vleugels | - (*) | - | - | - | - | - |
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| Jessie van Aalst, W (2-0) | 3 | 6 | - | 3 | - | - |
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| Mariëlle Vleugels | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
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| (*) - Vleugels was announced as starting pitcher, but was replaced by Van Aalst when top 1st inning began |
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Netherlands vs. Spain
The 18th game in history between the Netherlands and Spain almost took three hours to complete.
The Orange Team won 7-2 to record its 18th victory against the Spanish women.
It also was the first game in which the Netherlands didn't record a mercy-rule win.
The Netherlands opened the score with one run in the bottom of the first inning.
With two outs, Brenda Beers and Jessie van Aalst singled, then Cindy van der Zanden followed with a runscoring single.
...Annemiek Jansen...
...2 Hits, 2 runs, 3 RBI's...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
Two runs were added in the second at bat.
Dinet Oosting and Annemiek Jansen began with a walk, which led to a pitching change.
Starter Beatriz Alonso was relieved by Beatriz Parejo, but she was greeted with a runscoring single from Damishah Charles.
Next, the bases got loaded when Britt Vonk also walked.
With one out, Jansen scored the next run on a sacrifice fly by Brenda Beers.
With two outs and runners at the corners, a attempt to score another run failed.
Vonk took off from first base, but Charles was eliminated at the plate trying to score from third base in this double steal-situation.
Marjolein Merkx started as pitcher for the Netherlands.
She allowed one batter to reach base in the first inning, then retired the side in the second.
With the Netherlands leading 3-0, Spain got one run back in the top of the third, as the first four Spanish batters all reached base.
The bases got loaded quickly when Roser Jonás led off with a single, Maria Caicoya walked and Candela García reached on a bunt-single.
Jonás then scored when an error was made on a grounder by Carla Segura.
Merkx recovered and followed with a strikeout, then avoided giving up more runs, as a double play ended the at bat.
The Orange Team immediately took more distance with a 3-run rally in the bottom of the third inning.
With two outs, Mariëlle Vleugels walked and Dinet Oosting doubled.
Both scored when next batter Annemiek Jansen also delivered a double.
That led to the next pitching change.
New pitcher Ane Barandiaran got the bases loaded when she walked Damishah Charles and Britt Vonk.
She then uncorked a wild pitch that enabled Jansen to score.
After she got the bases loaded again via a walk for Eva Voortman, Barandiaran closed with a strikeout.
But the Netherlands now led 6-1.
The Netherlands was unable to take some more distance, as two scoreless innings followed.
In the top of the fifth inning, veteran righthander Rebecca Soumeru took over the Orange-pitching.
She got three flyouts in the fifth, but gave up the second Spanish run in the sixth.
Soumeru got the bases loaded when she gave up three consecutive singles.
With three runners on base, Estibaliz Álvarez hit a line drive, but that was caught by 3B Damishah Charles.
Hereafter, a run was scored on a sacrifice fly by Raquel Moncho.
That also led to the third out, as the runner from first base tried to advance, but was eliminated at second base.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Netherlands added an insurance run.
Lead-off hitter Jessie van Aalst reached on an error and went on to score on a 2-out single by Annemiek Jansen.
Mariëlle Vleugels pitched the seventh inning for the Netherlands.
She walked a batter with two outs, but then closed the game with a strikeout, just as she had done in the first game today.
Playing for the Netherlands in this game were Britt Vonk (SS), Eva Voortman (DP), Laura Wissink (PH/C), Brenda Beers (CF), Jessie van Aalst (RF), Cindy van der Zanden (2B), Mariëlle Vleugels (1B/RP), Suka Van Gurp (1B), Dinet Oosting (C/1B), Annemiek Jansen (LF), Damishah Charles (3B), Marjolein Merkx (SP) and Rebecca Soumeru (RP).
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| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | | R | H | E |
| Spain | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| Netherlands | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | - | 7 | 8 | 2 |
| pitchers Spain | inn. | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Beatriz Alonso, L (0-3) | 1 (*) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
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| Beatriz Parejo | 1.2 | - | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
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| Ane Barandiaran | 3.1 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
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| (*) - Alonso pitched to two batters in the second inning |
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| pitchers Netherlands | inn. | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Marjolein Merkx, W (2-0) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
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| Rebecca Soumeru | 2 | - | - | 3 | 1 | 1 |
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| Mariëlle Vleugels | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - |
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Copyright © 1997-2022 Marco Stoovelaar / Grand Slam * Stats & News.
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668th international game of the Netherlands Women's Softball Team.