Dutch hoofdklasse 2018: Day two of the final playoff round

On the second day of the final playoff round, next to the regular game between HCAW and De Glaskoning Twins, the remainder of yesterday’s rained out game was played. 

De Glaskoning Twins  5  –  2  HCAW
De Glaskoning Twins needed two days to win this game.
Yesterday’s game was suspended at the start of the bottom of the ninth inning as the game was tied at one. When the floodgates of heaven opened it wasn’t possible to continue playing. Manager Knollenburg sent Jakob Syrén to the mound. In three innings, Syrén pitched three strong innings and allowed one run but by the time HCAW scored, De Glaskoning Twins had taken a comfortable 5-1 lead already.
In the eleventh inning, the Twins offense exploded with runners on the corners and two outs. Nick Peels singled to drive in Shurman Marlin from third and Bob van der Meer reached third base on Peels’ hit.  Thanks to a passed ball, Van der Meer could score Twins’ third run and Nick Peels moved into scoring position. After Peels scored on Brian Biezen’s single, the latter scored when Bram Grooten singled to left field.
Jakob Syrén pitched himself into a jam in the bottom of the eleventh and allowed HCAW to score its second run. But eventually, Syrén got out of the inning without further damage. Despite his very good debut, yesterday, Koen Postelmans did not get the win but Jakob Syrén did.
Best hitter for De Glaskoning Twins was Bram Grooten, who replaced Chris Gé in left field and only got two at-bats because of that. Bram went 1 for 2.

De Glaskoning Twins  1  –  2  HCAW
Misja Harcksen started the game for De Glaskoning Twins even though he has been bothered by a nagging injury. Harcksen loaded the bases, allowed a run on a single by Bryce Cherry but got out of the inning without further damage. Manager Knollenburg still pulled him after the first frame and replaced him with Pastor Chavez Martinez.
Chavez Martinez pitched seven solid innings in which he gave up four hits and a walk and struck out five. Kaj Timmermans pitched a great game too. Twins wasn’t able to score a run with him on the mound until the eighth inning even though they were close in the seventh inning when Bob van der Meer was tagged out at home plate.
But in the eighth, Timmermans showed signs of fatigue. After two quick outs, he walked Bram Grooten and gave up singles to Jamie Verheyleweghen and Bob van der Meer before he was replaced by Moreno Vork. Vork started with a bases-loaded walk that moved all base runners a base and tied the game at one. Thijs Steenwijk replaced Pastor Chavez Martinez in the eighth and kept HCAW from scoring but eventually, in the ninth, he gave up the walk-off hit to Vince Rooi that drove in the winning run for HCAW.
Oscar Meuris, who pitched a perfect ninth in which he struck out two, earned the win.
Best hitter for HCAW was Vince Rooi, who went 2 for 4 with the game-winning RBI.

Curaçao Neptunus  5  –  6  L&D Amsterdam Pirates
Orlando Yntema showed he is human as he gave up five runs in the first three innings partially thanks to a two-run home run by Rodney Daal. But Pirates wasn’t able to cling on to the lead. After Neptunus scored a run in the third and the fourth inning, Kevin Heijstek recorded two quick outs in the fifth but then gave up a single to Benjamin Dille, a double to Dwayne Kemp and a home run to Gianison Boekhoudt to tie the game at five.
In the remaining nine innings neither team did score so extra innings were needed. In the tenth inning, Pirates had a big opportunity to score the walk-off run when, with two outs, Kenny Berkenbosch tripled to right center field. But eventually, Rodney Daal grounded out for the final out of the inning.
Since with playoff games, no tie is possible the game continued through the thirteenth inning. The relief pitchers on both sides kept their opponent on a leash but eventually in the thirteenth inning appeared to be the decisive one.
After Maickel Rietel limited Neptunus to a walk, Pirates pushed for the winning run. Rashid Gerard singled down the right field line and was replaced by pinch-runner Aidan Finnegan. On a sac bunt, Rodney Daal got on base on a throwing error by third baseman Dwayne Kemp and Finnegan advanced to third on the error. But it took Pirates until their final out to score the winning run as Finnegan wasn’t able to score on a 6-3 groundout and a fielder’s choice. Victor Draijer’s single up the middle was needed to score the walk-off run.
Maickel Rietel, who pitched two strong innings in which he walked one and struck out two, earned the win. Berry van Driel took the loss.
Best hitter for L&D Amsterdam Pirates was Rashid Gerard, who went 3 for 5 with an RBI and a run scored.

Thanks to this win, L&D Amsterdam Pirates has clinched home-field advantage in the upcoming Holland Series.

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