Belgian Division One: May 10, Match of The Day

Today’s match of the Day was one between the two teams in the cellar of Division one. It was the second game of a doubleheader. I try to look for special games with surprising results or close scores. Despite a handball score, the result was a close one.

Braine Black Rickers 22 – 24 Namur Angels

After a 15-4 victory in eight innings for the Namur Angels, the Braine Black Rickers gave their opponent a run for its money in the second game of today’s doubleheader.
Only in the eighth inning, Namur managed to turn the tabels and walked off with the win.

It was one of those see-saw games in which both teams took the lead several times. When you look to the box-score, you will understand what I mean.

Braine Black Rickers scored four runs in the first inning on only two hits. The pitching and defense struggled, so after the second HBP, manager Christophe Heymans pulled some strings and made four defensive changes, including a pitching change. This helped to stop the offensive drive of Braine in the first frame.

In the bottom of the first inning,Namur collected four consecutive singles before the first out was recorded. The defense of Braine struggled as two runs were scored on passed balls.

After Namur had taken a three-run lead (7-4) in the bottom of the second, Braine turned the tables as it scored four runs to take a one-run lead. But that lead did not last long as Namur countered with five runs.

With two outs in the top of the fifth inning, Braine struck hard.
Doubles by Jhoanderson Freitez and Yosuke Sakai, and singles by Luis Manuel Veras Luciano, Oreste Garcia Pupo, and Francisco Peña Gonzalez drove in six runs.

At the end of the sixth inning of this crazy game, the score was tied at sixteen. Braine then scored six more runs in the top of the seventh, but Namur bounced back to score four runs in the seventh, and four in the eighth, to clinch the victory.

Steve Jordens earned the win. in 3.2 innings of relief, he allowed six runs on seven hits and two walks, and struck out one. Guy Romain took the loss. He took the mound in the eighth inning to shut the door but allowed four runs on two hits and three walks.

Average-wise, the best hitter for the Namur Angels was Arthur Heymans, who went 3 for 4 with two RBI and four runs scored. Edouard Vanheer collected the most hits (five our of seven at-bats with four RBI and four runs scored) for a .714 batting average.

Thanks to clinching the doubleheader, the Namur Angels are not in direct danger to be demomted to division two anymore, at least for now.

Here are the standings after today’s games:

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