Dutch Hoofdklasse, Thursday April 23

Today the second round started with the following scheduled games:

UVV – Vaessen Pioniers; Corendon Kinheim – Curacao Neptunus; Mampaey the Hawks – Pronto DSS; HCAW – L&D Amsterdam Pirates

Corendon Kinheim – Curacao Neptunus  3 – 4

On paper the absolute Match of the Day was the one between Corendon Kinheim and Curacao Neptunus.
Kinheim took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning when Mervin Gario scored from second base on a double down the right field line hit by Dashenko Ricardo. For a long time both pitchers kept their opponents in check but in the bottom of the seventh inning, Kinheim extended their lead with another run. Jasper Keijzer scored all the way from first base on a triple hit by Kevin Moesquit.
But in the next inning David Bergman, who entered the game in relief, gave up two runs to the team from Rotterdam. Bergman retired the first batter he faced but then gave up consecutive singles to Benjamin Dille and Railly Legito and a double to Gianison Boekhoudt.
In Kinheim’s eighth at bat Loek van Mil took the mound after Kevin Kelly loaded the bases. Van Mil eventually limited the damage by allowing Kinheim to score only one run on a walk drawn by Kevin Moesquit to give Kinheim a 3-2 lead.
In the top of the ninth, manager Wim Martinus handed the ball to closer Arshwin Asjes. Asjes gave up two singles and a walk to load the bases before Benjamin Dille hit a sac fly to center field that drove in Urvin Kemp for the game tying run. Loek van Mil, still on the mound retired the side which made extra innings necessary. But in the Netherlands this means the dreaded tie breaker rule. So with Benjamin Dille placed on second base and Railly Legito placed on first, Gianison Boekhoudt singled to left center field to drive in Dille. Eventually Kinheim did not score so Neptunus won the nerve wrecking game 4-3.
Winning pitcher was Loek van Mil, who pitched the eighth, the ninth and the tenth inning. Arshwin Asjes got the loss after he blew the save and gave up the game winner to Neptunus.
Best hitter for Neptunus was Benjamin Dille, who went 2 for 4 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Mervin Gario was the best hitter for Kinheim as he went 2 for 5 with a double, a run scored and a stolen base.

Mampaey the Hawks – Pronto DSS 5 -17

On paper a game between two teams that will be destined to play for the spots 5 to 8. But it turned out a spectacular one.
Both teams had met last year in the play down series that DSS won and which sent the Hawks down to the Overgangsklasse (one division below the Hoofdklasse). But after AdoLakers from The Hague pulled back it’s Hoofdklasse team, the Hawks filled the void.
DSS scored six runs in the first two innings,which proved to be enough to win the game but in the sixth inning turned out to be disastrous for the Hawks. DSS drew two walks, followed by a throwing error that allowed Tino van Erk to score the first run of that inning. Four hits (one triple), three errors and three more walks led to nine more runs. Eventually DSS won the game in seven mercy rule innings. Best hitter for DSS was Levine Gabriels who went 3 for 4 and who was a homerun shy of hitting for the cycle. He drove in three runs and scored two runs himself.
Julian Goins was the best hitter for Mampaey the Hawks as he collected three hits out of four at bats. He hit a double, drove in two runs and scored one run.
Winning pitcher was Rik Geestman. He lasted five innings and allowed three runs on five hits.  He walked six and struck out three.
Evan Simons was tabbed with the loss as he lasted 1.1 innnings in which he allowed five runs on six hits. Simons walked two and struck out one.

HCAW –  L&D Amsterdam Pirates 1 – 7

A sun delay in the third inning (as the sun set behind the outfield) and an incomplete game, that is also baseball in the Netherlands.
Until the sun delay, both teams had not scored. But after the sun delay, L&D Amsterdam Pirates opened the score in the fourth inning. With two outs, Jesse Aussems singled to right field, followed by a single to center field by Rashid Gerard. A fielding error allowed Gerard to advance to second base and Aussems to score the opening run. Of the seven runs that L&D Amsterdam scored, only three were earned as HCAW committed four errors. L&D Amsterdam Pirates scored three more runs in the fifth and two in the seventh. HCAW scored the consolation run in the seventh as Jarreau Martina doubled down the right field line, followed by another double hit by Rowan van Hoek. In the eighth inning neither team did score and then the curfew rule was applied. This rule means that after 10.30 PM no new inning can be started to avoid noise for the neighbourhood. So L&D Amsterdam Pirates won a game with less than ten points difference and without playing the full nine innnigs….
Winning pitcher was Rob Cordemans who lasted seven innings. Cordemans allowed the only run of HCAW on seven hits, he walked one and fanned twelve. Maickel Rietel got the loss as he lasted 4.1 innings. Rietel allowed five runs (one earned), walked four and struck out two.
Nick Urbanus was the best hitter for L&D Amsterdam Pirates as he went 2 for 4 with an RBI, a run scored and two stolen bases. Raoell Kortstam went 1 for 2 with a triple for HCAW and earned the honours of being the best hitter for his club.

UVV – Vaessen Pioniers 0 – 3

A solid win for Vaessen Pioniers as they limited UVV’s lineup to five hits. Ricardo Hernandez lasted 6.2 innings in which he allowed just four hits, walked only one and struck out six. Karel Sedley also kept the team from Utrecht from scoring but did walk two batters. Bayron Cornelisse pitched one inning and allowed one hit but struck out three.

Pioniers opened the score in the second inning as Quintin de Cuba hit a ground ball single to right field and was driven in on a double by Kevin Dirksen. In the fourth inning, UVV pitcher Jurjen van Zijl retired the first two batters but then gave up a triple to Daniel Fernandes. After Danny Rombley drew a walk, Dirk van ‘t Klooster singled to left field and drove in Fernandes for the second run. One more runs was scored in the seventh to reach the final score.
Ricardo Hernandez was the winning pitcher and Jurjen van Zijl was tabbed with the loss. Van Zijl allowed two runs on eight hits and walked as many as he struck out: four.
Best hitter for Pioniers was Daniel Fernandes, who went 3 for 4 with a triple, a walk and a stolen base. Joris van Ballegooij and Jamie Verheylewegh both went 1 for 2.