2019 European Championship: Dutch win slugfest in five

In the quarter-finals of the 2019 European Championship, the Kingdom of the Netherlands clinched an easy win as they walked over Belgium in five innings with a 17-2 score.

Belgium started well as they scored twice in the first inning. Leonel Reina led off with a double down the left field line, followed by a single by Benjamin Dille, who advanced to second base thanks to a fielding error by center fielder Roger Bernadina on which Reina could score the opening-run. A wild pitch by Dutch starter Orlando Yntema allowed Benjamin Dille to advance to third base from where he could score on a 4-3 groundout hit by Thomas de Wolf. But after the first inning, Belgium would only get one hit in the remainder of the game.

But in the very same inning, the Dutch would turn the tables. Back-to-back singles by Calten Daal and Roger Bernadina and a home run by Curt Smith, gave the Dutch a 3-2 lead. Ademar Rifaela and Hendrik Clementina followed with solo home runs to make it 5-2.

In the remaining four innings, the Dutch would score twelve more times: a one-run second, a two-run third and fourth and a seven-run fifth. That monster inning led to a five-inning game.

Orlando Yntema, who did not have a strong start, recovered and limited Belgium to three hits throughout the game.

The title of this blogpost says “Slugfest.” It really was as Belgium got its share with a double but the Dutch collected eleven extra-base hits, three doubles, and eight home runs. All players of the Dutch starting lineup collected one base hit at least. Of the eight home runs, Hendrik Clementina hit two. The best hitter for the Dutch (average wise) was Roger Bernadina who went 4 for 4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored.

With this win, the Kingdom of the Netherlands advances to the semi-finals, where they will face the winner of the game between Spain and the Czech Republic. Belgium on the other side will face the loser of that game.