Dutch hoofdklasse 2018: Playoffs, round 1, day 3

On the third day of the playoffs in the Dutch hoofdklasse, Curaçao Neptunus made short work of De Glaskoning Twins and L&D Amsterdam Pirates had to go deep for the win.

Curaçao Neptunus  10  –  0  De Glaskoning Twins
A bleak performance by De Glaskoning Twins that could not cope with the experience and the strength of the reigning Dutch champion. As Neptunus starter Orlando Yntema was able to deal with the variable strike zone of the home plate umpire, the starter of De Glaskoning Twins, Pastor Chavez Martinez wasn’t. Martinez pitched a good first inning but in the second inning, he was clearly upset with the calls the home plate umpire made. As a result, he had trouble to find the strike zone and he gave up three walks. The few times he threw a strike, he was hit hard so Neptunus had a 5-0 lead after two innings already. After three more runs in the third inning, Pastor was relieved by Jan Evertse. Despite the two runs, Evertse would give up in the sixth inning, the defense settled down.
The offense on the other side, could not get a grip on the pitches of Orlando Yntema, who gave up two hits in five innings and struck out six. Reliever, Brendan Schoemaker also allowed two hits in two innings and Taylor Clemensia gave up one hit and struck out three in the seventh inning. So in seven mercy rule innings, Twins managed to collect five hits, of which Dennis de Quint got two (2 for 3), Bram Grooten got one (1 for 1) and Jamie Verheyleweghen and Bob van der Meer both went 1 for 3. 
According to manager Kevin Knollenburg, who will leave the club after this season, Twins showed too much respect for the Dutch champion. It was clear the team lacked fighting spirit today.
Of course, Orlando Yntema earned the win. Pastor Chavez Martinez took the loss.
Best hitter for Curaçao Neptunus was Benjamin Dille, who went 3 for 4 with two RBI and two runs scored.

HCAW  4  –  6  L&D Amsterdam Pirates
It was one of those games in which the team with the most base hits did not get the win.
 In another close game, L&D Amsterdam Pirates had to go deep to keep the win in Amsterdam and win the series vs HCAW. For the biggest part of the game, Pirates trailed HCAW by two runs and in the top of the sixth, HCAW even extended their lead to 3-0. But eventually, in the bottom of the seventh, Pirates answered by scoring three runs to tie the game. But in the top of the eighth inning, Kevin Weijgertse, who got on base on a single to left center field, scored when Julian Goins doubled down the right field line to give HCAW the lead again. But this time the lead would not last half an inning.
In the bottom of the eighth when Ian Delemarre replaced Chris Pfau, Niels van Weert got on base on a single to center field. Van Weert advanced to second when Nick Urbanus laid down a sacrifice bunt. Kenny Berkenbosch’ double to left center field, drove in Van Weert for the game-tying run. As neither teams did not score in the ninth inning, extra innings were needed. After HCAW did not score in the top of the tenth despite having a runner in scoring position, Pirates cashed in at the right time. With two outs, Kenny Berkenbosch drew a walk before Linoy Croes connected for a two-run shot that cleared the right-field fence.
Starting pitchers Dennis Burgersdijk (HCAW) and Kyle Ward (L&D Amsterdam Pirates) had similar outings. Both pitched six-plus innings in which they allowed three runs. The big difference between the two was the number of hits they allowed. Ward allowed ten hits but Burgersdijk limited Pirates to only two hits. On the other hand, Burgersdijk gave up five walks while Ward did not give a free pass at all. Eventually, reliever Maickel Rietel earned the win after two perfect innings (ninth and tenth innings). Ian Delemarre was tabbed with the loss as he gave up three runs in 2.2 innings.
Best hitter for L&D Amsterdam Pirates was Linoy Croes who went 2 for 5 with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored.

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