U12 European Championship 2017: Dutch beat reigning champion

Despite the Germans had a bonafide slugger in their ranks, it did not really harm the Netherlands as the latter beat the reigning European champion 12 – 5. 
A solid performance by starting pitcher Ryan Hoogendoorn, clutch hitting and patience at bat led to this victory. 

For the first time in sixteen years, the KNBSB (Royal Dutch Baseball and Softball Federation) sent a team to the U12 European Championship. Since the results of youth teams also count in the world ranking of the WBSC, the KNBSB had to do something after years of neglect. The team of manager Peter Herkemeij, pitching coach Eric de Vries and first base coach Jesse Aussems was vastly superior in this game, the only game on the first day of the tournament that lasted the full seven innings.

After the Dutch had taken a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning, the Germans came within one run when Kilian Redle hit a two-run home run to center field. Later in the game, Redle would hit another triple but that one did not have any consequences. But after both teams did not score in the second inning, the Dutch slowly walked away in the next two frames. In the third inning, pitcher Ryan Hoogendoorn singled up the middle, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Hoogendoorn eventually scored on a single by catcher Boris Hartman.

In the next inning, the Netherlands scored twice on Maxwell Cornelissen’s double down the right field line.

Ryan Hoogendoorn worked his way through five innings in which he gave up two runs on five hits and a walk and struck out four. He needed seventy pitches to earn the win.

The decisive blow was dealt in the sixth inning when the Dutch scored five runs and had twelve hitters at bat. The German pitching gave up four consecutive walks before recording the first out. Back-to-back singles by Jamie Beerman and Boris Hartman, followed by a sac fly by Amarensio Franka, drove in three runs. One more run was scored on a passed ball and two back-to-back walks.

Germany scored two runs in the sixth and one in the seventh and the Dutch added one more in the top of the seventh to reach the final score.

Best hitter for the Dutch was Miquel Willem, who went 2 for 2 with a triple, a RBI and three runs scored.

Other hitting results:
Boris Hartman: 4 for 5 with 2 RBI
Maxwell Cornelissen: 2 for 3 with a double, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored
Jamie Beerman: 2 for 5 with 2 RBI and a run scored
Ryan Hoogendoorn: 1 for 3 with a RBI and 2 runs scored

The other results of today:

France  25  –  6  Austria (5 innings)
Poland  0  –  15  Italy (4 innings)
Ukraine  5  –  18  Czech Republic (5 innings)