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Day 25: Dutch close American Tour with shutout
HONOLULU (Hawaii, USA) - The Dutch National Softball Team on Saturday-evening closed its first American Tour with an 8-0 shutout-victory vs. Eastern Kentucky University. The Dutch squad played 15 games during the trip, finishing with a 12-3 record, while three games in California were canceled due to weather circumstances. The team starts to travel home on Monday.
Next on the agenda will be the resuming of the weekly 3-day practices in Amsterdam in early April, then the Elite Championships Tournament will follow in May on a yet to be named site in the Netherlands. In the end of May, the Dutch team travels back to the USA for a 4-week tour to play against professional teams.
Players of the Dutch team are ready to go to the field after completing
their preparations and batting practice
Box Score vs. Eastern Kentucky University
After losing twice on Friday, the Dutch team recovered on Saturday and handed the Colonels, the team from Eastern Kentucky University, an 8-0 shutout-loss.
The Dutch opened the score right away in the first inning.
Saskia Kosterink led off with a bunt-single, advanced on a sac-bunt by Kim Kluijskens, then scored on a single by Nathalie Timmermans, who moved to second base on the throw to home plate.
Kim Kluijskens had two sacrifice bunts tonight
Debby Connor had two basehits and scored once
Five runs were added in the third at bat and Saskia Kosterink and Nathalie Timmermans were again involved in the first two runs.
Saskia led off and reached base after being hit by a pitch and advanced on another sac-bunt by Kim Kluijskens.
Next, Nathalie Timmermans hit a 2-run homerun to make it 3-0.
This was the third homerun in the Tour for Nathalie and the second in two days, as the rookie also hit a fourbagger vs. Southern Illinois University.
After next batter Debby Connor reached on an infield-hit, Kentucky-starter Kalyn Fox was relieved by Jenn Bledsoe, but the Dutch kept on scoring.
The new pitcher was greeted with a single into rightfield by Sandra Gouverneur, which was followed by an outfield-error, enabling Dana Horeman, who ran for Debby at first base, to score a run.
Sandra, advanced to second on the error, then moved to third on a grounder by Noémi Boekel, who celebrated her birthday today.
Marloes Fellinger then added an RBI-single.
Moments later, in a steal-situation, Marloes was awarded second base on obstruction.
The bases were loaded when next batters Jolanda Kroesen and Daisy de Peinder both walked.
Another pitching change followed, but new pitcher Chelsea Butler walked Saskia Kosterink, the first batters she faced, to bring in another run and increase the lead to 6-0.
Nathalie Timmermans connects for her third homerun of the Tour...
...and is welcomed after rounding the bases
At far right is Jolanda Kroesen, who also homered tonight
Greeting Nathalie is Noémi Boekel (25), who celebrated her birthday today
In the fifth inning, Jolanda Kroesen homered to make it 7-0, then the 8-run difference mercy-rule was reached in the sixth inning.
Nathalie Timmermans led off with a double, then Debby Connor singled, putting runners at the corners.
Debby was replaced pinch-runner Chantal Versluis, who the stole second base.
An intentional walk for Sandra Gouverneur loaded the bases.
After a strikeout, the eighth run to reach the run-difference was scored when Marjan Smit, who had entered the game in the top of the inning in leftfield, also walked, thus ending the game.
Winning pitcher Kristi de Vries
Kristi de Vries went the distance for the Dutch and threw her second complete game shutout of the series, while raising her record to 4-1.
The righthander struckout three batters and gave up only six basehits, including two in the first Kentucky-at bat.
In both the first and sixth inning, Kristi was supported with a nice double play.
In the second inning, the first two Colonels-batters reached base, but a foul-fly was the followed by two strikeouts to end the inning and the best scoring opportunity for Eastern Kentucky.
Starting in this at bat, Kristi retired eight batters in a row, before giving up a 2-out single in the fourth inning.
Former Amsterdam Pirates 1B Ralph Lagas (front) was in attendance today
Behind him sits KNBSB-boardmember Softball Affairs André van Overbeek
Left is Dutch Team Business Manager Caroline Theunissen
Through this, Ralph says hello to everyone back home in the Netherlands
Tonight's game was attended by Ralph Lagas, the former first baseman of Amsterdam Pirates, who moved to the USA two years ago and married Cheyenne Daries, who pitched for the Pirates-softballteam in the 2005 season and then struckout 127 batters.
Ralph was in Honolulu with the Condors, the baseball-team of North Monterey County High School, where he is one of the coaches.
Head Coach of the Condors is Tim Gower, who in 1990 participated as a pitcher in the Haarlem Baseball Week in the Netherlands with the team of Pacific-10 All Stars.
The team held a training camp, won a game earlier in the day and will travel back to California on Sunday.
Go back to the schedule of the USA Tour
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