Dutch Women Softball Team

2010

Another game in the books

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Dutch National Team plays second intersquad game of the year

Nederlandse tekst

AMSTERDAM (Neth.) - The Dutch National Softball Team had to do without Head Coach Craig Montvidas due to sickness on Friday, January 29, but nevertheless played its second indoor intersquad game of the year in Amsterdam. Joining the National Team this time were five players from the Dutch Junior Red Team.
Two days later, on Sunday, January 31, the team got together for its next practice session in Enschede and also conducted a clinic there for local club High-Tech-Hitters.

For the third time during the indoor-season, the Dutch National Softball Team was joined by players, who are currently on the preliminary roster of the Dutch Junior Softball Team. After four players on December 18 and three on January 22, today five players were added to participate in the practice session and the intersquad game, being Debby Barbé, Sophie Bugter, Beau van Gelder, Miranda van der Ham and Mariëlle Vleugels. In the coming weeks, other players from the Junior-squad also will be invited to get the opportunity to practice and play with the National Team.

Today was a day of some improvisations. Head Coach Craig Montvidas called in sick in the morning, missing his first practice session. Besides that, Assistent Coach Nancy Evans is still recovering from an operation she underwent in November and Team Manager Paul Boonstra got his leg into a cast last weekend and also was absent today. Paul's cast was removed today, but the damage to his knee after his unlucky fall last week couldn't be determined yet. Next week, he will undergo a MRI-scan, which then will make things more clear. So, Media Officer Marco Stoovelaar was the lone staff-member with the team when it started practice, but was later joined by Physical Therapist Anouk Fermont.

Despite this all, the team showed its professionalism. Team captains Saskia Kosterink and Rebecca Soumeru were in charge of the practice and the game and Areke Spel conducted the strength and conditioning before practice started. And everything went as smoothly as always with the team playing 8 innings, which had some nice plays, including several on five line drives. Like line drive catches in the first inning by rookie 2B Beau van Gelder and 1B Kim Donkers off the bat of respectively Fabienne van Uden and Mariëlle Vleugels. But also a great play in the second inning on a line drive by Areke Spel, which was barely missed by a diving 1B Nadine Marinus, but Saskia Kosterink, who played at 2B at that moment, was right behind her, fielded the ball and got it back in time to Nadine for the out. In the fifth, rookie 3B Miranda van der Ham made a nice play on a grounder by Merel Oosterveld. In the same at bat, there was a fine play on a hit by Nathalie Gosewehr. Catcher Solange Starrenburg barely missed catching the ball, but pitcher Mariëlle Vleugels was able to pick up the ball and retired the batter in time. In the sixth, there was a nice 2-6-2 (Solange-Saskia-Solange) play in which Kim Donkers was eliminated at home. Then, in the seventh inning, Saskia Kosterink was involved in another nice play, when she caught a line drive off the bat of Chantal Versluis, then completed a double play by eliminating the runner on first base. And in the eighth inning, 1B Nadine Marinus caught a line drive hit by Virginie Anneveld. So, there was enough action, which also got the umpires sharp. The players and staff of the Dutch Softball Team thank today's umpires Gerrit-Jan van der Hoeven and Rick Tuk for their participation in the intersquad game.

Next Friday, February 5, there will be no intersquad game, but after that, the team has three indoor games left on the schedule, to be played on Friday-afternoons in Amsterdam in February, starting around 2:15 PM.

The five players from the Dutch Junior Softball Team, who were with the team today:
Mariëlle Vleugels, Sophie Bugter, Miranda van der Ham,
Debby Barbé and Beau van Gelder

Before the game, the players conducted a strength and conditioning session

Today's umpires Gerrit-Jan van der Hoeven and Rick Tuk

Pitchers Femke van Dusschoten, Dagmar Bloeming and Rebecca Soumeru

Pitchers Kirsten Scheele and Junior Mariëlle Vleugels

Chantal Versluis hitting for 'Team Black'
Catching for 'Team Grey' is Solange Starrenburg; Gerrit-Jan van der Hoeven is the umpire

And here, Junior Beau van Gelder is hitting for 'Team Black'

Junior Miranda van der Ham playing at 3B and Junior Debby Barbé at 2B
Running at third base is Karin Tuk

A concentrated line of players:
CF Fabienne van Uden, 2B Saskia Kosterink and 1B Nadine Marinus

Teamcaptains Saskia Kosterink and Rebecca Soumeru have a chat with Areke Spel between innings

Junior Sophie Bugter playing at 3B and Junior beau van Gelder at 2B

Areke Spel lines a ball foul in deep leftfield

Nathalie Gosewehr playing in leftfield

Solange Starrenburg hitting for 'Team Grey'
Sophie Bugter does the catching here