As almost all games of last weekend were canceled, a lot of them had to be made up. Yesterday three of them were played, today three more. The following games were scheduled tonight: Hoofddorp Pioniers @ Quick Amersfoort, DSS/Kinheim @ Silicon Storks, and Curaçao Neptunus @ L&D Amsterdam. The latter is part of a complete three-game series that was canceled for some vague reason.
Hoofddorp Pioniers 1 – 2 Quick Amersfoort
After two and a half scoreless innings, Quick Amersfoort was the team that opened the score. Brandon van Rijnbergen led off with a single and advanced to third on a sac bunt and a groundout before he was driven in on a single to second base by Bas Wiers. In the following three innings, Stijn Bruins Slot kept the Pioniers lineup in check. But in the seventh inning, Pioniers pushed and put runners on first and second with one out. At that moment, Bruins Slot was replaced by Jakob Syrén. Andreas Meijer tried to steal third base but was caught in a rundown and was tagged out. Syrén retired the final batter and Quick Amersfoort got away with a scare. But in the top of the eighth inning, Jakob Syrén got in a pickle as he allowed runners in scoring position. When Andreas Meyer hit towards first base, Dylan Farley was thrown out at home plat to prevent Pioniers scoring the tying run. But the next batter was hit by a pitch, so Pioniers could score the game-tying run after all. That was the moment in which Syrén was replaced by Jasper Popken, who struck out Denzel Brooks for the final out of the inning.
As neither team scored and the ninth inning was barely finished before 22.30 (10.30 PM), a tenth inning was played. In that tenth inning, Jasper Popken kept Pioniers from scoring despite allowing runners on first and second. Quick on the other hand, took advantage of a dropped fly ball in left field and put runners in scoring position with one out. Jorge Hernandez Morantes singled to left field to drive in the winning run.
Jasper Popken earned the win after 2.1 innings in relief in which he allowed one hit and two
walks and struck out two. Lucca van der Schouw took the loss as he allowed the winning run to reach base in the bottom of the tenth. In three innings, he gave up one run on one hit and struck out five.
DSS/Kinheim 10 – 7 Silicon Storks
Silicon Storks played its home game at the ballpark of Curaçao Neptunus as the team from The Hague still doesn’t have a lighting system.
Despite losing only by three runs, Silicon Storks never really stood a chance in tonight’s game. But the team from The Hague didn’t go down without a fight.
By the time Storks got on the board, DSS/Kinheim was already leading 9-0. In the bottom of the fifth, Storks scored four runs In the following two innings, Storks scored a run each and DSS/Kinheim scored one. In the bottom of the eighth, Storks would push one more time. With one out, Sheadion Jamanika hit into a force out at second base and advanced to second base on Kevin van Veen’s single through the left side. Jamanika could score from second base thanks to a single, hit by Yurdion Martie. But Milan van der Breggen managed to record the final out of the game, thanks to the curfew rule, when Kelvin Knape hit into a force out at second base.
Nick Boxelaar earned the win. In 5.2 innings, he gave up five unearned (!) runs on five hits and three walks as he struck out one. Twan Naessens took the loss after three innings of work in which he six runs (five earned) on five hits and four walks and struck out one.
Milan van der Breggen earned the save. In 1.2 innings, he gave up one run on four hits and
two walks and struck out one.
With two hits out of three at-bats with an RBI and two runs scored, Jochem Koedijk was the best hitter for DSS/Kinheim.
Thanks to this win, DSS/Kinheim is still in the race for a playoff spot. But the team is trailing Oosterhout Twins by 8.5 games with only nine games to go. With one DSS/Kinheim loss or a Oosterhout Twins win, the team from Haarlem will be eliminated from contention.
Curaçao Neptunus 0 – 1 L&D Amsterdam Pirates
In a game in which the runs and the hits did not come cheap, Pirates was the first one to strike after three scoreless innings in which both starting pitchers, Aaron de Groot for Neptunus and Gio de Graauw for Pirates, kept the opponent in check. In the fourth inning, after Roelie Henrique led off with a single, followed by Gilmer Lampe who drew a walk, Denzel Richardson doubled down the left field line to drive in Henrique for the opening run. Gilmer Lampe dashed home from first but was thrown out at the plate. Gio de Graauw cruised through the first eight innings but as he approached the hundredth pitch of the night, he started to struggle. With two outs in the ninth, he gave up two walks and a single and allowed Neptunus to load the bases. That’s where Shairon Martis took over, who retired the final batter on a flyout.
Gio de Graauw pitched a near complete game gem for the win. In 8.2 innings, he allowed three hits and three walks and struck out seven. His opponent, Aaron de Groot pitched a decent game as well but took the loss thanks to that sole run he gave up on two hits and
two walks. De Groot struck out four. Shairon Martis earned the save in that 0.1 inning on the mound.
With one double out of three at bats and an RBI, Denzel Richardson was the best hitter for L&D Amsterdam Pirates.
Both teams combined for five hits, two for Pirates, three for Neptunus.
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