Dutch Hoofdklasse Play Offs: Saturday August 15

On day two of round one of the play offs, the followng games were schedulded:

The remaining innings of Corendon Kinheim @ Curacao Neptunus and Vaessen Pioniers @ L&D Amsterdam and the full scheduled games of Saturday: Corendon Kinheim @ Curacao Neptunus and Vaessen Pioniers @ L&D Amsterdam.

The first game of which the remaining innings of Thursday had to be played was won by Corendon Kinheim 3-2.
The game continued where Loek van Mil took the mound for Curacao Neptunus. Singles by Kevin Moesquit and Mervin Gario drove in Jochem Koedijk for the go-ahead run. But Neptunus wouldn’t be Neptunus if they wouldn’t come back. And so they did in the bottom of the eighth when Dwayne Kemp scored from third on an error/obstruction by third baseman Mervin Gario. As the ninth inning remaind scoreless a tie break was needed here as well. In the top of the tenth inning, Dudley Leonora was placed on first base and Jeffrey Arends on second. Kinheim played the classic game of a sac bunt, executed by Jasper Keijzer, and both runners advanced a base. After Jochem Koedijk fouled out towards third base, Loek van Mil gave an intentional walk to Kevin Moesquit to load the bases. But a wild pitch by Van Mil decided the game as Jeffrey Arends scored and Neptunus wasn’t able to score in their tenth at bat.
Arshwin Asjes earned the win after he pitched the final three innings in which he gave up one run on one hit, walked three and struck out one. Loek van Mil took the loss as he allowed the winning run on that wild pitch in the tenth inning.
It was a game where runs didn’t come cheap. Kinheim collected only four hits and Neptunus did slightly better with six.

The other suspended game on Thursday started in the tenth with a tie break. Rather uniquely (as they haven’t won many games that ended with a tie break this year) L&D Amsterdam Pirates won this one 3-2 as well.
In the top of the tenth inning Vaessen Pioniers failed to score despite having runners in scoring position. L&D Amsterdam Pirates started the tie breaker with Michael Duursma as base runner on first and Linoy Croes at second. Nick Urbanus bunted towards pitcher Byron Cornelisse and was safe to load the bases. The game ended with an anticlimax as Cornelisse walked Kenny Berkenbosch and thus gave up the decisive run to Pirates as all runners advanced a base and Linoy Croes touched homeplate.
Daan Hendrix earned the win after two innings of work in which he gave up one hit, walked and fanned two. Byron Cornelisse took the loss. Best hitter for Pirates was Michael Duursma. He went 2 for 3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Dirk van ‘t Klooster went 2 for 5 for Pioniers.

Corendon Kinheim @ Curacao Neptunus (game 2)  7 – 5

In the second game at the Neptunus Family Stadium, the score went back and forth. Kinheim took a 4-0 lead as they scored a run in the third and two in the fourth and one in the sixth. Neptunus bounced back in the sixth. After they scored a run in the fifth, they put the pedal to the metal. Dwayne Kemp doubled down the right field line followed by a single hit by Benjamin Dille to put runners on the corners. Raily Legito’s single to left field drove in Dwayne Kemp and put runners on first and second. Gianison Boekhoudt cleared the bases and put Neptunus in the drivers seat with a three run jack down the right field line. But Kinheim flexed their muscles one more time in the ninth inning. Jochem Koedijk singled to third base and advanced on a balk by Kevin Kelly. A single by Kevin Moesquit and a sac fly by Mervin Gario tied the game at 5-5.
After Bryan Engelhardt was intentionally walked and Philip Ortiz struck out, Dachenko Ricardo singled to right field and drove in Kevin Moesquit from second. Bryan Engelhardt advanced to third on the play and eventually scored on the single down the left field line by Jeffrey Arends. 
Pim Walsma retired Christian Diaz for the first out but then gave up a single to Stijn van der Meer. Even though Tom Stuifbergen was the starting pitcher on Thursday, he entered the game and started it with giving up a single to Rien Vernooij. But that was about it as Stuifbergen retired the next two batters for the save. Despite pitching 1.1 innings, Pim Walsma earned the win. Kevin Kelly took the loss after 1.2 innings in which he gave up three runs on four hits.
Jochem Koedijk went 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored for Kinheim. Dwayne Kemp also went 3 for 4 with two doubles and a run scored.

Vaessen Pioniers @ L&D Amsterdam (game 2)  2 – 7

Once again, the pitching of Vaessen Pioniers was hit hard and in crucial situations not helped by their defense. In the second inning L&D Amsterdam took a down payment on what was to come. Remco Draijer drew a walk but was thrown out at second when Bas Nooij hit into a force out / fielder’s choice. But a throwing error by Pioniers’ second baseman Daniel Fernandes allowed Nooij to reach first base safely. A single by Jesse Aussems drove in Bas Nooij and Rachid Gerard’s single put runners on the corners. After Gerard advanced to second on a passed ball, Jesse Aussems scored on Linoy Croes’ 4-3 ground out.
In the next inning Vaessen Pioniers cut the lead in half when Kevin Dirksen got on base on a single and advanced to second due to a sacrifice bunt laid down by Kevin Weijgertse. After Djewi Appelman’s 6-3 ground out made Dirksen advance to third, he scored on Daniel Fernandes’ single to left field.
In the bottom of the sixth, Pirates scored two more runs but once again the lead was cut in half in the next inning.
Thanks to a double by Remco Draijer, a fly out by Bas Nooij and a single by Jesse Aussems, Pirates scored a run in the seventh.
But it wasn’t over yet. In the eighth inning Roellie Henrique doubled down the right field line and advanced to third on a ground out hit by Michael Duursma. Henrique scored on a wild pitch thrown by Taylor Clemensia.
After Nick Urbanus drew a walk and stole second, he scored on the single through the center of the infield hit by Patrick Bock.
Kevin Heijstek earned the win as he lasted eight innings in which he allowed two runs on six hits. He walked two and struck out five. Lars Huijer took the loss after 5.2 innings in which he gave up four runs on four hits, walked seven and struck out three. Daniel Fernandes was the best hitter for Pioniers as he went 2 for 3 with a run batted in. Remco Draijer went 2 for 2 with a double and a run scored. But the most impact had Jesse Aussems with three hits out of five at bats with two RBI and a runs scored.