Dutch hoofdklasse 2018: Relegation group, round 1, day 3

On the third day in the relegation group of the Dutch hoofdklasse, two games were played in Hoofddorp as Thursday’s rained out game was finished and today’s game was played as well. In The Hague, only one game was played between Silicon Storks and visiting team DSS.

Cityside Apartments Quick Amersfoort – Meerlease Pioniers 2 -6 and 15-4
As Thursday’s game was rained out and an attempt to play the game on Friday was spoiled by Mother Nature once again. So today there were two games scheduled. The first game was a rather easy victory for Meerlease Pioniers. Pioniers took a lead in the third inning when Oliver van der Wijst homered to left field followed by three more runs scored on bases-loaded walk, a wild pitch and a sac fly. In the fifth and the sixth inning, Pioniers extended its lead with a run each. All Cityside Apartments Quick Amersfoort could do was scoring a run in the top of the sixth and one in the top of the ninth.
Lars Huijer cruised through five innings in which he gave up just one hit, walked three and struck out four for the win. The loss went to Brian van Laar, who also lasted five innings but gave up five runs (four earned) on five hits and six walks and struck out six.
Best hitter for Meerlease Pioniers was player/manager Mervin Gario as he went 2 for 4.

The second game between these two teams was the opposite of the first game. Quick Amersfoort was dominant at bat as it collected seventeen hits and scored fifteen runs. Pioniers collected only seven hits and scored four times. Quick Amersfoort took a marginal two-run lead in the top of the third inning but in the fourth, its offense exploded for four runs. After Alexander Valdez kept Quick Amersfoort scoreless in the fifth inning, he was tabbed with one more run in the sixth, after he was replaced by Gilian van Lith. In a disastrous inning, three relief pitchers gave up eight more runs to reach the final score.
Colin van Laar earned the win after six innings in which he gave up four runs on seven hits and four walks and struck out seven. Alexander Valdez took the loss with seven runs allowed on twelve hits and a walk.
Best hitter for Cityside Apartments Quick Amersfoort was Bryan Engelhardt who went 3 for 4 with a double and five RBI.

DSS  8  –  5  Silicon Storks
Where Silicon Storks pulled off a surprise last week, it did not happen today as DSS was too strong. After Silicon Storks had taken a 2-0 lead in the second inning on a bases-loaded single by Runai Coran, DSS turned the tables in the top of the fourth when it scored five runs on four hits and two errors. Even though DSS scored three more runs (one in the fifth, one in the seventh and one in the ninth), Storks wasn’t ready to give up yet. Thanks to a wild pitch, Storks scored a run in the bottom of the fourth and thanks to a single by Jurriaan Dijk, the team scored two more runs in the bottom of the eighth. But there Storks’ offense stalled.
Both starting pitchers went five innings but DSS’ Scott Prince allowed three runs (one earned) on seven hits and three walks for the win. His opponent, Martin Kram took the loss as he allowed six runs (four earned) on eight hits and three walks.
With three hits (one double) out of four at-bats, Omar Williams was the best hitter for DSS.

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