(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
    Netherlands qualifies for World Cup via two Play-Off wins
Nederlands
 VALENCIA (Spain) -
The Netherlands Softball Team has qualified for the World Cup, which will be played next year in Italy.
The Orange Team had a strong final day in Valencia (Spain), where Group B was played, one of the three Qualifying Tournaments for next years global event.
For the first time, a qualifying round is played to determine the field of participants in the final tournament.
On Saturday (July 22), the Netherlands won 2-1 against Cuba, then 2-0 against China to secure a ticket for Italy.
Lefthanded pitchers Eva Voortman and Jessie van Aalst played a major role in the wins.
The Netherlands opened the event on Tuesday with a 4-3 loss against Cuba, then lost 5-4 against China on Wednesday.
The team then recorded two wins on Thursday to secure a spot in the Play-Offs.
The Orange Team nipped Spain 3-2, then later in the day recorded a comfortable, mercy-rule 11-1 win against South Africa.
On Friday, the team closed the round-robin with a 6-1 loss against Puerto Rico.
The final day of Group B (Saturday) began with a 5-0 win of Spain against South Africa in the game for fifth and sixth place.
Hereafter, in the first Play-Off game, the Netherlands met Cuba, who respectively finished in fourth and third place in the round-robin.
The Netherlands won 2-1.
Next, the Final was played between China and Puerto Rico, the teams that finished in first and second place in the round-robin.
China and Puerto Rico ended in a tie with Cuba, as all three closed the round-robin with a 4-1 record.
According to the tournament-rules, China finished in first place, followed by Puerto Rico and Cuba.
Puerto Rico faced an early 1-0 deficit, but came alongside in the second inning, then scored what would be the decisive run in the fifth to win 2-1.
With that, Puerto Rico qualified for next years World Cup.
In the evening, the last game of the tournament was played in what can be called the second Final, but officially, this is the so-called Repechage-game (in order formats, this is also called the backdoor-game).
In the Repechage, the Netherlands (as winner of the first Play-Off game) faced China (as loser of the Final) and won 2-0.
In the game against Cuba, the Netherlands again opened the score.
This time, the team scored twice in the top of the third inning.
Cuba scored its lone in the sixth inning off of Eva Voortman, who struckout eleven batters and gave up only two basehits.
The Orange Team got its first (and only) scoring opportunity in the third inning and then immediately struck with two runs.
An important moment in the game, as this would be the lone runs that would be scored.
With one out, Britt Vonk walked and scored on a following triple by Brenda Beers, who then scored herself on a sacrifice fly by Dinet Oosting.
In the remainder of the game, the Netherlands would get only one more baserunner.
That was with one out in the top of the seventh when Cindy van der Zanden singled, but she stranded on first base.
Eva Voortman pitched three hitless innings (walking one batter) and gave up her first basehit with two outs in the bottom of the fourth.
But a flyout then followed.
In the sixth inning, with a runner on first base and one out, Voorman gave up a double to Yilian Rondon, which cut the Dutch lead in half, 2-1.
With Rondon on second base, a flyout and groundout ended the at bat.
In the bottom of the seventh, Voortman walked the lead-off hitter.
After a flyout accounted for the first out, the lefthander struckout the next two batters to seal the win.
With that, the Netherlands had secured a spot in the Repechage-game.
Playing for the Netherlands against Cuba were:
Britt Vonk (SS), Brenda Beers (CF), Dinet Oosting (3B), Maxime van Dalen (DP), Jessie van Aalst (1B), Cindy van der Zanden (RF), Laura Wissink (C), Suka Van Gurp (2B), Damishah Charles (LF), Eva Voortman (P, flex).
In the Repechage-game, the Netherlands took the lead in its seventh consecutive game.
Like it had done earlier in the day against Cuba, the team struck when needed offensively.
The Netherlands scored both runs in the top of the first inning and then continued to play a solid game defensively, had strong pitching and hold onto the minimal lead.
Winning pitcher Jessie van Aalst struckout eight batters, gave up only three hits and also accounted for the two Orange-runs.
Britt Vonk led off the first inning with a single and next batter Brenda Beers walked.
The two moved to the next base via a sacrifice bunt by Dinet Oosting.
With two outs, both scored when Jessie van Aalst delivered a triple.
In the bottom of the first inning, Van Aalst entered the pitching-circle and retired the side.
After the Netherlands had left a runner behind on second base in the top of the second inning, China came close to scoring in its second at bat.
With one out, Jiaxin Xie tripled.
Van Aalst followed with a strikeout, then a grounder ended the at bat.
In the third inning, the Netherlands had runners at the corners with one out, but a double play then followed.
In the bottom of the third, it was China that got two baserunners on first and second base with two outs.
They also were left behind.
In the fourth, two more Orange-runners stranded, but this time, Jessie van Aalst retired the side in the bottom of the fourth, including two strikeouts.
With two outs in the top of the fifth, Maxime van Dalen doubled for the Netherlands, but stranded on second base.
Again, Van Aalst retired the side in the bottom of the fifth, adding another strikeout.
The suspense rose some more in the bottom of the sixth when China got its first two batters on base.
With runners on first and second base, Xinyue Jiang hit the ball into centerfield.
There, it was caught by centerfielder Brenda Beers, who then got the ball in time to second baseman Suka Van Gurp to complete a double play.
A very important play at a crucial moment in the game.
When Jessie van Aalst walked the next batter, Lisa Hop took over the pitching.
With runners on first and second base, she closed the at bat and this Chinese scoring opportunity with a strikeout.
With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Hop gave up a single and with two outs, she walked a batter.
But the righthander then ended the inning, the game and the tournament with a strikeout!
The Netherlands had secured its ticket for the World Cup!
Playing for the Netherlands against China were:
Britt Vonk (SS), Brenda Beers (CF), Dinet Oosting (3B), Maxime van Dalen (1B), Jessie van Aalst (DP/SP/DP), Cindy van der Zanden (RF), Laura Wissink (C), Suka Van Gurp (2B), Damishah Charles (LF), Lisa Hop (announced starting pitcher/flex/GF).
Puerto Rico and the Netherlands join the USA and Australia, who qualified a week ago in Group A, which was played in Balbriggan (Ireland).
Also today, Group C went underway in Castions di Strada (Italy).
The two best teams of that tournament will bring the total to six.
The field of participants of the World Cup will then be completed with two wild card-teams.
(July 22)
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