2025 Belgian Division One: May 18, Match of The Day
Another see-saw game in the Belgian Division One. A handball score in the match between the Brasschaat Braves who hosted the Deurne Spartans. But despite the handball score it was a close game.
Deurne Spartans 13 – 14 Brasschaat Braves
In a close game, the Brasschaat stayed at the right side of the score.
Brasschaat opened the score when Robbe de Boey, who got on base on a single, scored the opening run on Hunter Cooper’s single up the middle.
Deurne Spartans bounced back in the top of the second inning when Hunter Cooper walked two consecutive batters with two outs before he gave up an RBI single to Leonel Santiago Reina Viant.
In the next inning, Spartans added another run to take the lead. But that lead did not last long as the Braves tied the game in the on Hunter Cooper’s single that drove in Sebastiaan Dockx from third.
Both teams kept scoring runs so after the eighth inning, Deurne led 13-10.
Brasschaat’s Robbe de Boey, who took the mound in the eighth in relief, retired the side in the top of the ninth. Perhaps, that was the spark plug the Braves needed but they bounced back in the bottom of the ninth. With the bases loaded and no outs, Spartans managed to keep the Braves from scoring when Steven de Lannoy hit the ball towards pitcher Raxon Martinez Miranda recorded the first at at home plate. But the next batter, Hunter Cooper doubled to left center field and drove in two runs. Eventually Lino Ballardini became the game winner as he singled to left center field to drive in Steven de Lannoy and Hunter Cooper for the walk-off victory.
Robbe de Boey earned the win. In two innings of relief pitching, he gave up one run on three hits. He helped his own cause at the plate as he went 3 for 5 with four runs scored. Nevertheless, Hunter Cooper was the best hitter for the Braves, as he (also) went 3 for 5 but he drove in five runs and scored twice. Deurne’s Raxon Martinez Miranda took the loss. In 2.1 innings in relief, he gave up seven runs (six earned) on five hits and five walks. Normally Raxon is playing at the left side of the infield, but apparently Deurne ran out of fresh pitchers.
Here are the standings after this weekend:
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