2022 Dutch hoofdklasse: Round 1, Game 1

With two games rained out tonight, the games between host L&D Amsterdam Pirates and RCH Pinguïns and Quick Amersfoort @ Oosterhout Twins continued despite the inclement weather in most parts of the Netherlands.

RCH-Pinguïns  24  –  18  L&D Amsterdam Pirates
After thirteen years, RCH-Pinguïns is back in the Dutch hoofdklasse. Likely, the club’s return was more it may have dreamt of. 
RCH-Pinguïns boldly took the lead in the top of the second inning. After Sebastiaan van der Horst drew a two-out walk, he advanced to second base on a passed ball. A dropped fly ball in right field, allowed him to score the opening run. But in the bottom of the very same inning, Pirates put things in order when it scored six runs on RBI-singles by Kenny Berkenbosch and Delano Selassa, on a two-RBI double by Rachid Engelhardt, a bases-loaded HBP, and thanks to a sac fly to center field by Raphael Smeenk. 
In the following innings, Pirates kept scoring runs to reach the final score of 
After giving up the opening run, Nelmerson Angela kept the lineup of RCH-Pinguïns in check pretty well as he allowed only two hits, walked four, and struck out nine in six innings.
Despite sitting in the driver’s seat, Pirates blew an 18-1. After  Nelmerson Angela had thrown 98 pitches, Donny Breek took over on the mound in the top of the seventh inning, which turned out to be a disastrous one. Breek didn’t get off a good start as he loaded the bases twice with no outs before giving up a bases-loaded walk and three wild pitches that allowed Yurdion Martie, Koen Werkman, and Teun van der Meer to score as well. Connor Prins took over but had a hard time recording the outs as he also struggled to find the strike zone. Eventually, after giving up eight runs and still stuck with that bases-loaded situation, Prins was replaced by Martin Kram, who also couldn’t find the strike zone, resulting in RCH-Pinguïns tying the game at eighteen and even taking the lead. Things went so ugly that manager Ronald Jaarsma sent Kenny Berkenbosch to the mound, to save some arms. Eventually, RCH-Pinguïns scored twenty-three runs in that seventh inning to take a 24-18 lead.  Pirates didn’t have the chance to straighten the ship as their side was retired in the bottom of the seventh. By then, it was well past 22.30 (10.30 PM), so no new inning could be started due to the curfew rule.
Jesse Aussems took the win. In 2.1 innings, he allowed two hits and struck out two. Connor Prins took the loss as he gave up the go-ahead run to RCH-Pinguïns. 
The best hitter for RCH-Pinguïns was Yurdion Martie, who went 3 for 5 with three RBI. 

Quick Amersfoort  9  –  2  Oosterhout Twins
Tonight, Oosterhout Twins wrote history. For the first time in the history of the club, a night game, with a proper lighting system was played at sportpark De Slotbossetoren. 
For Twins the result of the game was nothing to write home about as the pitching struggled and the opponent took advantage of it. 
After Twins had taken a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, Quick Amersfoort bounced back in the top of the third on a two-RBI double by Rodney Daal. 
In the next inning, starting pitcher Koen Postelmans allowed a triple to Alex Madera, which drove in two runs and allowed Madera to score on a wild pitch. 
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Twins had a good opportunity to get back in the game as it loaded the bases with two outs, but slugger Shurman Marlin grounded out 6-3 for the final out of the innings. 
After five runs in 4.1 innings, Postelmans was replaced by Finn Kops, normally not a pitcher, who lasted 2.1 innings but was pulled in the top of the seventh with no outs and runners on first and second. Pastor Chavez took over on the mound but gave up a single to Darryl Williams that loaded the bases. Chavez would give up two more runs before getting out of the inning thanks to an inning-ending double play. But by then, Quick Amersfoort had taken a 9-2 lead. After seven innings, the game was called due to the curfew rule, that doesn’t allow a game to start a new inning after 22.30 (10.30 PM).
The Twins lineup was kept in check by the pitching of Quick Amersfoort. Johnaikel Acosta pitched six innings in which he gave up two runs on five hits and two walks and struck out four for the win. Koen Postelmans took the loss. 
Average-wise, Darryl Williams was the best hitter for Quick Amersfoort as he hit 1,000 (1 for 1). 

 

This blog post is brought to you by