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(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Jordi Cortadela & Grega Valancic / Softball Europe)
   Netherlands Softball Team captures European title in convincing fashion
Nederlands
 SANT BOI DE LLOBREGAT (Spain) -
The Netherlands is back on top in European softball!
On Saturday-evening (July 30), the Orange Softball Team captured the European title for the eleventh time in history with a convincing 7-0 victory against Great Britain in the Final of the 23rd edition of the European Championship, which was held in Spain.
The Netherlands last won the title in 2017.
In the next two editions (2019, 2021), it was Italy that won the title.
With today's shutout-win, the Netherlands took a convincing revenge for the 5-0 loss against the British on Thursday.
This was the lone loss for the Orange Team, led by Head Coach Ferenc Jongejan.
By reaching the Final, both the Netherlands and Great Britain qualified for the first stage of the WBSC Women's World Cup, which will be organized next year.
Earlier today, Italy won the Bronze Medal by winning 4-2 against the Czech Republic.
With that, Italy became the third and final team to qualify for the first stage of the World Cup.
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.
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.
On Wednesday, the Netherlands closed the Second Round with two more victories to remain unbeaten.
The Orange Team first began with its fifth mercy-rule victory in a row, winning 12-0 in 3½ inning against Slovakia.
And in the afternoon, the Netherlands won 7-2 against hosting country Spain.
On Thursday, Day 1 of the Final Round, the Netherlands Team started the day with a 5-0 loss against Great Britain, which therefore remained unbeaten, while the Orange Team suffered its first loss.
In the evening, Great Britain shutout Spain 10-0 to become the first team to qualify for the Final.
Later in the evening, the Netherlands became the second finalist in a spectacular way.
Thanks to a walk-off homerun by Suka Van Gurp in the seventh inning, the Orange Team won 3-2 in a must-win game against Italy.
Besides that, Eva Voortman dominated as pitcher and threw a 2-hitter.
It also meant that reigning champion Italy was dethroned.
On Friday, the Netherlands closed the Final Round with a 14-6 win against Israel in what was the 100th international game for Suka Van Gurp.
(July 30)
Final Standings:
1. Netherlands, 2. Great Britain, 3. Italy, 4. Czech Republic, 5. Spain, 6. Israel, 7. Greece, 8. Germany, 9. Ireland, 10. France, 11. Poland, 12. Slovakia, 13. Croatia, 14. Austria, 15. Ukraine, 16. Belgium, 17. Switzerland, 18. Denmark, 19. Malta, 20. Finland, 21. Türkiye.
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...The players, coaches and staff of the Netherlands Team celebrate the title...
...Back: Ferenc Jongejan (Head Coach), Lindsey Meadows, Robert Boersma (1B Coach),...
...Maxime van Dalen, Lizzie Clarijs, Eva Voortman, Jessie van Aalst, Tjerk Smeets...
...(Battery Coach), Cindy van der Zanden, Rebecca Soumeru, Mariëlle Vleugels,...
...Laura Wissink, Charlotte Drijvers, Sanne Bolhuis (Team Manager),...
...Saskia Kosterink (Hitting Coach) and Bas Besselink (Physical Therapist)...
...Front: Damishah Charles, Lorraine Kieft (Bullpen Catcher), Dinet Oosting,...
...Annemiek Jansen, Lisa Hop, Marjolein Merkx, Suka Van Gurp, Brenda Beers and Britt Vonk...
(© Photo: Grega Valancic / Softball Europe) |
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In the 99th and final game of this years European Championship, the Netherlands came close to the opening run in the top of the first inning, as it got the lead-off hitter on third base with no outs.
Britt Vonk drove the ball down the rightfield-line, just out of reach of the rightfielder, for a lead-off triple.
With one out, Jessie van Aalst walked.
But both runners were left behind when British pitching-ace Georgina Corrick struckout the next two batters.
The British Team faced Eva Voortman, who had another great outing in the pitching circle.
On Thursday-evening, the lefthander dominated in the thriller against Italy, giving up two basehits.
Today, in the Final, Voortman threw an one-hitter!
In the bottom of the first inning, Voortman struckout the side.
With that, the first inning already looked very different as opposed to the first meeting against the British Team on Thursday.
The Orange-batters had much better contact right from the beginning, while the British batters were unable to produce.
In the top of the second inning, it was Georgina Corrick who struckout three batters in a row.
The righthander was born in England, but moved to the USA with her parents when she was only three months old.
She grew up in the USA and became a dominating college-pitcher.
In the past college-season, the righthander became the first pitcher in NCAA Division I history to win the Pitching Triple Crown.
All other players on the British roster also played college in the USA.
Nine of the sixteen players were born and raised in the USA, two were born and raised in Canada.
The other five players were born in England, but they either grew up in the USA or went there to play softball in college.
...Dinet Oosting...
...2-for-3, three runs batted in...
(© Photo: Jordi Cortadela / Softball Europe) |
On Thursday, Corrick dominated against the Netherlands in the Final Round, striking out eleven batters and giving up only two basehits.
Today, the righthander struckout thirteen Orange-batters, but also gave up eleven basehits, including a doubles by Damishah Charles and Cindy van der Zanden and triples by Britt Vonk and Jessie van Aalst.
Dinet Oosting batted in three runs.
In the bottom of the second inning, the British Team got its first baserunner when Lauren Evans reached on an error, but she stranded on first base.
The Orange Team then rallied for three runs in the top of the third inning.
And with that, the team more or less decided the game right there, as it not only took an early lead, it also kept on putting pressure on the British defense.
Damishah Charles led off with a single, then Britt Vonk walked.
After the two had moved on a sacrifice bunt by Brenda Beers, the bases got loaded when a bunt by Jessie van Aalst became unplayable for pitcher Georgina Corrick, ending in a bunt-single.
Corrick followed with a strikeout, but then gave up a 2-run single to Dinet Oosting!
Moments later, Oosting also contributed to the next run.
With Van Aalst on third base, she took off from first base and got into a rundown.
However, Van Aalst scored before Oosting was tagged out and so, the Netherlands led with a 3-0 score.
What might have been a crucial moment for the British Team happened in the bottom of the third inning.
Catcher Amy Moore led off with a walk.
A bunt by Aubrey Peterson was then caught by 3B Damishah Charles and a strikeout for Tia Warsop accounted for the second out.
With two outs, the British coaches made an error.
Instead of inserting Warsop at first base as temporary runner for Moore, Peterson was sent to first base.
After the first pitch to next batter Sydney Brown, Orange Head Coach Ferenc Jongejan came out to appeal to German Home Plate Umpire Galip Sönmez.
The line-ups were checked and Peterson indeed was the wrong baserunner.
In previous years, that could be changed by putting in the correct runner, but recently, the rule was adopted that when a wrong temporary runner was put in and was confirmed, that runner was ruled out.
And that is what Sönmez did and so, the inning ended.
The Netherlands immediately added a run in the top of the fourth.
Laura Wissink led off with a single, moved into scoring position via a sacrifice bunt by Annemiek Jansen and scored on a double down the leftfield-line by Damishah Charles.
With that, halfway the fourth inning, it can be stated that the Netherlands already had secured a comfortable 4-0 lead!
Defensively, the Orange Team also grew.
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, it was centerfielder Brenda Beers, who made a great diving catch on a line drive by Kendryl Scott, which ended the British at bat.
Moments later, in the top of the fifth, another Dutch run was added.
With two outs, Cindy van der Zanden doubled and scored when Dinet Oosting delivered another runscoring single.
...Winning pitcher Eva Voortman...
...one-hitter, eight strikeouts...
(© Photo: Jordi Cortadela / Softball Europe) |
Now trailing 5-0, the British Team got a minor chance to do something back when it got its first two batters on base in the bottom of the fifth.
Lead-off hitter Lauren Evans was hit by a pitch, which also hit catcher Laura Wissink on her helmet, but she stayed in the game.
Hereafter, Georgina Corrick reached on a comeback infield-hit to pitcher Eva Voortman.
The ball hit the lefthander and this was to be the lone basehit she gave up!
Voortman also recovered and followed with a strikeout.
After an infield-fly accounted for the second out, Voortman closed with her eighth strikeout.
Both teams were retired in order in the sixth, then the Netherlands added two more runs in the top of the seventh.
These insurance runs raised the lead to 7-0.
Britt Vonk led off with a single, then a bunt by Brenda Beers ended up in front of the catcher for a bunt-single.
Both scored when a line drive by Jessie van Aalst just crossed first base down the rightfield-line for a stand-up, 2-run triple!
The next three batters were retired, but the Netherlands now had a commanding lead.
With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Eva Voortman walked Lauren Evans.
She then faced her British pitching-colleague Georgina Corrick.
The Netherlands defense ended the game in style, as the fifth delivery to Corrick (and 86th overall by Voortman) ended in a game-ending double play!
And so, the European Championship ended in a festive mood at the field in Sant Boi de Llobregat.
Earlier in the tournament, the Netherlands Team suffered some setbacks, as it saw two players get injured.
Catcher Charlotte Drijvers only appeared in the first game on Sunday against Germany in which she was hit on her knee by a foul ball.
She didn't play thereafter, but the foul ball was not the reason.
Just before the team had left for Spain, the catcher was hit on her head by a ball in the batting cage during a practice session.
Initially, there were no injuries, but while in Spain, a concussion was diagnosed and so, she didn't play in the remainder of the tournament.
The next day, against Poland, Lindsey Meadows was hit in her face by a foul ball and not only also sustained a concussion, but also broke her cheekbone.
She also was out for the remainder of the tournament.
Luckily, both Drijvers and Meadows were on the field during the Award Ceremony and received their Golden Medal.
Also with the team was 1B Maxime van Dalen, walking on crutches.
She suffered a severe knee-injury some three weeks ago, also during a practice session, and will be out for some nine months.
But today, she was with her teammates to celebrate the European title!
Playing for the Netherlands in this game were Britt Vonk (SS), Brenda Beers (CF), Jessie van Aalst (RF), Cindy van der Zanden (DP), Dinet Oosting (1B), Laura Wissink (C), Annemiek Jansen (LF), Suka Van Gurp (2B), Damishah Charles (3B) and Eva Voortman (P).
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| Great Britain - Netherlands 0-7 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | | R | H | E |
| Netherlands | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | - | 7 | 11 | 1 |
| Great Britain | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| pitcher Netherlands | inn. | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Eva Voortman, W (3-0) | 8 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - |
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| pitcher Great Britain | inn. | SO | BB | H | R | ER |
| Georgina Corrick, W (5-1) | 7 | 13 | 2 | 11 | 7 | 7 |
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Eleventh European Championship-title for the Netherlands.