Federation Cup 2024: Hoboken Pioneers Remains Unbeaten
In their fourth and final game of the round robin, Hoboken Pioneers also clinched a victory over the Greystones Mariners from Ireland. Pioneers needed eight mercy rule innings for the win.
Hoboken Pioneers 13 – 2 Greystones Mariners
In the first inning, Hoboken took a slim 2-1 lead and added a run in the second. But in the bottom of the fourth inning, Greystones cut the lead in half as it scored a run on single down the right field line, hit by Trojan Finarelli.
In the next inning, Pioneers flexed its muscles. Three singles, an HBP, a sac bunt and a double led to five runs. This 8-2 lead was too much to overcome for the oldest team from Ireland. A walk, drawn by Zion de Brauwer, consecutive singles by Benjamin Goffaux, Luis Unda, and Wesley Janssens, and a sac fly hit by Xander Verspreet, made Pioneers score three more runs.
In the seventh inning, Pioneers failed to finish the game in mercy rule fashion, so they did that in the eighth when Xander Verspreet hit a home run that cleared the left field fence and took Dennis de Quint with him.
Manager T.J. Antonacci used three pitchers of which Ruben van Landuyt, who made a spot start, earned the win. In five innings, he gave up two runs on three hits and three walks as he struck out four. During the Belgian season, Van Landuyt has played some games in both Division 1 and Division 2. In Division 1, he made some relief appearances, just like the previous game during this Federation Cup tournament.
Patrick Mitchell took the loss. In three innings, he allowed three runs on three hits and two walks.
Best hitter for Hoboken Pioneers was Benjamin Goffaux, who went 4 for 5 with three RBI and three runs scored, and with a double. Xander Verspreet drove in the most runs for Pioneers. Partially thanks to his two-run homer in the eighth inning, he drove in eight runners.
Tomorrow, Hoboken Pioneers will face the Rätvikk Butchers in the final. Game time: 11:00.
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