Dutch Hoofdklasse: Thursday, April 28

Yesterday four matches were played despite the very bad weather that we had here in the Netherlands in the previous days. L&D Amsterdam Pirates took on UVV, Curacao Neptunus hosted HCAW, Vaessen Pioniers faced Kinheim and De Glaskoning Twins hosted DSS.
On the first day of the third round, there were two double digit victories and one come-back-from-behind victory.

HCAW 3 – 5 Curacao Neptunus

In a game in which the score went both ways, it looked like a surprise was up and coming. Curacao Neptunus took an early lead in the bottom of the first when Dashenko Ricardo came through with a single as the bases were loaded. Ricardo drove in Raily Legito and Benjamin Dille to give Neptunus a 2-0 lead.
But despite giving up two walks in the first inning, Kaj Timmermans kept HCAW in the game as he pitched six innings.
HCAW bounced back in the fourth inning. After Vince Rooi had drawn a walk, Kevin Weijgertse singled down the right field line to put runners on the corners, followed by a single hit by Julian Goins that drove in Rooi. Raoell Kortstam loaded the bases with a single and Gianny Frolijk drove in Weijgertse and Goins with a single to left field.
In the meantime Timmermans kept Neptunus on a leash as the Rotterdam based team did not score. But in the bottom of the seventh, Timmermans was pulled after he gave up back-to-back singles to Benjamin Dille and Raily Legito. Gijs van Els started with giving up a single to Gianison Boekhoudt, that drove in Benjamin Dille for the game tying run.
In the bottom of the eighth, Neptunus sealed the fate of HCAW as it scored two more runs for the 5-3 win.

Bayron Cornelisse pitched three innings in relief in which he allowed two hits and struck out three for the win.
Giovanni Tensen took the loss after he gave up the two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. In 1.1 inning, he gave up one hit, walked two and struck out one.
Kevin Kelly earned the save for Neptunus as he struck out the side in the top of the ninth.

Best hitter for Neptunus was Raily Legito, who went 3 for 4 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored.

DSS 0 – 10 De Glaskoning Twins

De Glaskoning Twins faced DSS at “home”. I write at “home” because Twins played its home game in Dordrecht because their own lighting installation still does not meet Hoofdklasse standards.

Two big innings was enough for Twins to secure the win against a rather weak opponent. Where DSS was the surprise of last season, when the team finished sixth, the team hasn’t clinced a win so far.
In the third inning, Twins stepped on it and scored five runs for a commanding lead. Adrian Anthony homered to left field with two on board. Three consecutive walks and a single by Anthony Vrolijk and a sac fly hit by Mick Molenaar, drove in Jeffrey Arends and Berry van Donselaar for the fourth and fifth run.
From that moment, the game was over since DSS got only one runner on third base in the remainder of the game, but failed to cash in.
In the sixth inning, De Glaskoning Twins scored four more runs on two singles and a wild pitch.
After Bart Hanegraaff got on base thanks to a throwing error, he was doubled home by Jeffrey Arends for the tenth and game ending (mercy rule) run.

Winning pitcher was Justin Erasmus. He lasted six innings, allowed three runs, walked five and struck out five.
Denny Breek took the loss, after three innings and five runs on four hits allowed. He walked five and fanned four.

Best hitter for De Glaskoning Twins was Jeffrey Arends, who went 3 for 4 with double, two RBI and two runs scored.

Vaessen Pioniers 4 – 3 Kinheim

It looked like Vaessen Pioniers would cruise to an easy victory behind the pitching of former Seattle Mariners farmhand Lars Huijer, but in the end the game turned into a nail biter as Kinheim rallied for a possible come back.

In the top of the fourth inning, one inning hit by Mervin Gario was enough to score the opening run. After Gario got on base on a single, he stole second, advanced to third on a 6-3 ground out and scored on a 4-3 groundout, hit by Quentin de Cuba.

Two innings later, the bats of Pioniers woke up when Glenn Wassink gave up back-to-back singles to Zinho Croes and Mervin Gario and back-to-back walks to load the bases. When Kevin Dirksen doubled down the left field line, he drove in Austin Weymouth and Mervin Gario for the third and fourth run.

When Jonathan Isenia took the mound for Pioniers in the ninth, Kinheim started to hit. Isenia started with giving up a walk to Bryan Engelhardt, who promptly stole second, followed by a double hit by Dudley Leonora on which Engelhardt scored. Leonora then was driven in when Oliver van der Wijst also doubled. Van der Wijst eventually scored Kinheim’s third run on Niels van Weert’s single up the middle. But from there the gas was out of the tank and Kinheim fell 3-4 to Pioniers.

Lars Huijer earned the win as was flat out dominant in eight innings in which he gave up only four hits, walked two and struck out eight.
Sedley Karel earned the save after he replaced Isenia in the ninth inning.

Glenn Wassink lasted seven innings in which he gave up all four runs to Pioniers. He walked three and struck out seven.

Best hitter for Vaessen Pioniers was Mervin Gario, who went 3 for 5 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored.

UVV 0 – 10 L&D Amsterdam Pirates

In freezing temperatures, this game never really was a game as Kevin Heijstek was practically unhittable for UVV. In seven innings, Heijstek allowed only five hits, walked one and struck out seven. UVV got a runner on third base only once when Dennis Ribbens advanced from third, after he had doubled to right center field. But despite having only one out, the team failed to drive in Ribbens.
Pirates on the other hand had an easy night as they jumped on three of the four pitchers that they faced. Timo van Ancum kept Pirates in check through the second inning, but in the third he started to struggle as he gave up two hits and four walks for three earned runs.
After scoring one run in the fourth, Pirates had two more three run innings to reach the final score of 10-0 in the seventh.