Dutch Hoofdklasse 2016: Thursday, June 9

After a scoreless first inning, Kinheim opened the score in the second inning when the left side of the infield wasn’t quite sharp. Dudley Leonora reached first base on a throwing error by HCAW third baseman Vince Rooi. Victor Draijer got on base thanks to a fielding error by shortstop Jelle Blaauw. Dudley Leonora could advance to third base on the error. When Niels van Weert hit into a fielder’s choice at second base, Dudley Leonora scored the unearned openening run. When Oliver van der Wijst doubled down the left field line, he drove in Van Weert for the second run.
After the third inning, the game was suspended thanks to the dreaded sun delay in Bussum. The field has been designed in such a way that the sun sets in the outfield, making it impossible for an umpire to call a pitch. Nope, Sam Lynn Ballpark in Bakersfield isn’t the only stadium with this problem….
After the sun delay, both starting pitchers were replaced. Tom Stuifbergen was replaced by Nick Veltkamp and Ian Delamarre was replaced by Giovanni Tensen.
For two innings, Tensen kept Kinheim in check but in the sixth they jumped on him as they scored three runs. Back-to-back singles by Jasper Keijzer and Julio Hernandez were followed by a dinger to left field, hit by Dudley Leonora.
In the seventh Kinheim scored one more run in what appeared to be the final inning. Thanks to the curfew rule, no new innings can be started after 22:30 (10:30 PM). So Kinheim clinched a rather easy victory in which Tom Stuifbergen pitched three no-hit innings and Nick Veltkamp gave up only two runs in the remaining four frames. Veltkamp earned the win by striking out three and walking two. The loss went to Ian Delamarre. In the three innings that he pitched, he gave up two unearned runs on one hit as he walked one and fanned one.

Five Kinheim hitters went 1 for 3, but Dudley Leonora had the most impact of those five as he drove in three runs and scored two himself.

De Glaskoning Twins  1  –  3  Curacao Neptunus

This game was another pitcher’s duel. Until the eighth inning Neptunus’ Diegomar Markwell was fairly dominant and gave up only three hits. His opponent, Brendan Schoemaker also gave up only three hits but also two walks and two runs. When he was pulled in the bottom of the seventh, he had recorded eight strikeouts. Once again Twins played some good baseball but ended at the wrong side of the score.
Neptunus opened the score in the first inning after Dwayne Kemp singled to right field and advanced to third base on Stijn van der Meer’s ground out to first base. Kemp eventually scored on Christian Diaz’ 6-3 ground out.
Two innings and two outs already, it was Dwayne Kemp again that scored for Neptunus. He singled up the middle, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on Stijn van der Meer’s single to second base.
After Neptunus scored their third run in the seventh inning, Twins got on the board when Jarreau Martina scored on Jeffrey Arends’ single to right center field. But after the team loaded the bases with only one out, they failed to cash in as Anthony Vrolijk and Christopher Gé struck out swinging. After Loek van Mil replaced Berry van Driel in the bottom of the eighth and retired the final two hitters, he retired the side in the ninth as well for the save. 
Diegomar Markwell cruised through 7.1 innings and gave up just one run on four hits. He walked two and struck out three for the win.
Brendan Schoemaker took the loss, despite pitching a good game. In six innings he gave up two runs on three hits.

Best hitter for Curacao Neptunus was Dwayne Kemp with two hits out of four at bats and two runs scored.

Pickles UVV  6  – 7  DSS

Like it happened a couple of times in the previous weeks, DSS took the lead in this game. In the first inning the team from Haarlem scored twice. Joffrey Heus led off by hitting a single through the right side, followed by Menno Lenting, who hit the ball towards first base but first baseman Steven van Reem muffed the throw and allowed Lenting to get on base. Melvin Perdue bunted the runners to the next base and got out himself at first.
Then Ryan Miner singled to left field and drove in Heus for the opening run. Lenting advanced to third on the play. Menno Lenting scored when Tino van Erk grounded into a 3-6 force out at second base.
But in the third, fourth and fifth innings, Pickles UVV would score a run each to take a one run lead. In the fifth inning Dennis Ribbens, who was hit by a pitch, scored all the way from first base on Omar Williams’ double to right center field.
But DSS would fight back as the team tied the score in the bottom of the fifth and took the lead again in the bottom of the sixth.
In the seventh, DSS would extend their score by a run when Melvin Perdue scored on Sven van der Sanden’s single to left field.
After DSS added two more in the bottom of the eighth, they had to watch how UVV inched closer in the ninth. Back-to-back singles by Dennis Ribbens and Rick Kuipers and a fielding error by left fielder Ryan Miner, put runners in scoring position for UVV. A wild pitch by Max Ploegstra allowed Ribbens to score and Kuipers to advance to third. Another wild pitch, this time by Kevin Geestman, allowed Kuipers to score. After Steven van Reem doubled down the right field line, Berend Ruben, who had gotten on base on a walk, scored from second base. But Kevin Geestman retired the next two hitters to secure the win for DSS.

Gijs Timmer earned the win after 1.1 inning in relief. He gave up one hit and struck out three.
Gillian van Lith took the loss after 5.2 innings in which he gave up four runs (one earned) on eight hits, walked three and struck out one. Kevin Geestman earned the save.

Best hitter for DSS was Joffrey Heus, who went 3 for 4 with two runs scored.

L&D Amsterdam Pirates  1  –  4  Vaessen Pioniers

The new European champion headed to Hoofddorp to take on Vaessen Pioniers. Dennis Burgersdijk took the mound instead of Kevin Heijstek because the latter obtained a hamstring injury in the final of the European Champions Cup.
One big inning for Pioniers was enough to clinch the win.
Burgersdijk was hit hard in the first inning as he gave up four runs (three earned) on three hits and two errors. His opponent, Lars Huijer cruised through eight innings, though Pirates was close to score more runs in the eighth when they loaded the bases with two outs. But Danny Rombley left the bases loaded as he grounded into a force out at third base. Four innings earliers Pirates had scored their first run when Kenny Berkenbosch singled home Danny Rombley (with a bit of help from the right fielder, who committed an error).
Pioniers added a run in the seventh when Daan Hendrix replaced Dennis Burgersdijk. Hendrix gave up a lead off walk to Quentin de Cuba, who advanced to second base on Shurman Marlin’s 1-3 ground out. Glenn Bakker singled home De Cuba with a hit to left field.
Huijer was pulled in the top of the ninth and replaced by Maickel Rietel, who, despite giving up a single to Remco Draijer, shut the door. 

Lars Hujier earned the win. He gave up one run on four hits, walked three and struck out six. Dennis Burgersdijk, who pitched a decent game after the fourth inning, took the loss. In six innings, he gave up four runs on eight hits, walked four and struck out two.

Best hitter for Vaessen Pioniers was Mark Smit, who went 2 for 3. But Quentin de Cuba had the most impact as he drove in two runs on just one hit (a double).

Standings: