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Dutch Team suffers small loss vs. South Florida
 Nederlandse tekst
CLEARWATER / ST. PETERSBURG / TAMPA, Florida (USA) -
On Wednesday, the Dutch National Team played another good game, but lost 2-1 to the University of South Florida.
The USA Tour will continue on Thursday with a double-header.
First, the team meets St. Joseph's University, to be followed by a game vs. Central Connecticut State University with the first game starting at 5 PM (11 PM Dutch time).
In the morning, the team has some more time off and then will go to the mall.
The day started relaxed for the Dutch Team, as it got the morning off.
Initially, a practice session was scheduled, but that was scratched to give everyone a much-needed period of rest after some intensive days.
And so, everyone enjoyed the time off, which lasted from 9 AM through 3 PM.
The players also enjoyed a hot lunch, which was prepared by the parents of Lindsey Meadows.
In the meantime, on the other side of Florida, Space Shuttle Discovery landed at 11:57 AM at Kennedy Space Center, completing its 39th and last journey into space.
Unfortunately, the approaching Space Shuttle wasn't visible from Clearwater.
Discovery made its first trip into space 27 years ago and in total spent 365 days in space, flying a total of 238 million kilometers.
The shuttle will now retire and go to a museum.
In the next months, Space Shuttles Endeavour and Atlantis also will fly their last mission, ending the Shuttle-program.
In the afternoon, Head Coach Craig Montvidas and Business Manager Rich Hooff spent an hour at Al Lang Stadium in nearby St. Petersburg (photo right).
There, they watched part of the game of the Dutch National Baseball Team against a split-squad of the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Dutch Baseball Team, which also is in Florida currently, lost the game 4-3.
game vs. University of South Florida
The University of South Florida Bulls were 13-10 before tonight's game.
So far, the team had played all of its games in the Tampa/Clearwater area.
On February 11-13, they were 4-1 at their own Wilson DeMarini Tournament and then 1-4 a week later at the USF Tourmanent, both played at Clearwater.
Next, at Tampa, the Bulls were 2-3 at the Fairfield Inn and Suites Tampa North Tournament.
After a win vs. Western Michigan, USF went 3-2 at the Under Armour Invitational, which was played at Tampa and Clearwater on March 4-6 and then won a double-header vs. Maine yesterday.
USF will remain in Tampa for two more tournaments in the coming weeks, before playing its first game outside the state of Florida on March 26 in Queens, New York.
USF is led by Ken Eriksen, who is in his 14th season as Head Coach of the team.
Since 1997, he led the team to 611 victories (before this season), won three Big East Conference-titles (the last in 2008) and also won a Regional Championship in 2006.
As a softball-player himself, Eriksen was the catcher of Team USA that won the silver medal at the Pan American Games in 1991.
From 2001-2004 and in 2009-2010, Eriksen was an Assistant Coach in the staff of the Team USA Women's National Team, winning the gold medal on the Olympic Games in 2004 in Athens (Greece).
On January 28, USA Softball announced that Eriksen was named Head Coach of Team USA for 2011-2012, which include participation in the Pan American Games (2011) and World Championship in Canada (2012).
Today's game was a pitching duel between Lindsey Meadows and Capri Catalano, who both gave up two basehits and struckout six batters.
Opposed to yesterday-evening's high-scoring and long (3 hours) game, today's was a low-scoring and quick (1:43) match-up, which was played in the new and recently opened USF Stadium in Tampa.
After the Dutch left a runner in the first inning (Saskia Kosterink had reached on an error with two outs), the Bulls opened the score in their half of the at bat.
Dutch starter Lindsey Meadows hit lead-off hitter Gina Kafalas with a pitch, who was then awarded second base when 1B Umpire Alan Standiford stated that Lindsey had made an illegal pitch.
A single by Ashli Goff brought her to third base.
Next, a double steal led to the first run.
Goff was caught stealing, but in the meantime, the run was scored by Kafalas, who is the leading hitter of USF with a .395 average and also leads the team in runs (20) and hits (30).
Hereafer, Lindsey recovered and not only struckout the next two batters, but also struckout the side in the next at bat.
 
Nadine Marinus & Fabienne van Uden
Dutch basehits |
In the top of the second inning, Virginie Anneveld reached on an error and Nadine Marinus singled with one out, but then two outs followed.
But then, in the third inning, the Dutch came alongside.
Nathalie Gosewehr led off with a walk and advanced on a sac-bunt by Meike Witteveen.
The bases then got loaded when USF-pitcher Capri Catalano also walked Saskia Kosterink and then hit Karin Tuk with a pitch.
Next, Virginie Anneveld grounded out, but that enabled Nathalie to score the tying run.
A strikeout then ended the at bat, leaving runners on second and third base.
In the fourth, Fabienne van Uden singled with one out and stole second base, but also stranded.
The Dutch Team, which today played in their Olympic uniforms from Beijing, was then retired in order in the fifth and sixth inning.
In the home of the third, USF got a baserunner on with two outs, but she was then caught stealing (one of three), while they left a runner in the next at bat.
USF then re-took the lead in the fifth inning and did it in almost the same way as in the first at bat.
Lead-off hitter Stormi Grzybeck was hit by a pitch, then her pinch-runner Ilaura Reeves also was awarded second base when the 1B umpire again saw an illegal pitch.
Reeves, who then appeared to leave second base too early on the next pitch, moved to third base on an one-out flyout and was able to score the go-ahead run on a passed ball.
Trailing 2-1, three Dutch batters flied out in the top of the seventh inning to end the game.
The Dutch Team, which played another fine game, had only two basehits off Capri Catalano, who went the distance, struckout six and retired the last 11 batters in a row and 14 of the last 15.
For Catalano, this was her first complete game of the season.
On the other side, USF also had only two basehits.
Box Score game Netherlands vs. University of South Florida
Complete Schedule USA Tour
Ready to play the game
The mascot of the South Florida Bulls
A view of the recently opened USF Softball Stadium in Tampa
The players of USF hitting during batting practice
The scoreboard announces the game
The field is being prepared
And the Dutch players get ready for the game
Starting pitcher Lindsey Meadows eats something healthy before the game
Physical Therapist Sanne Oude Egberink signals that Lindsey has to eat two banana's
Business Manager Rich Hooff just looks on
The team lines up for the National Anthems
Business Manager Rich Hooff and Head Coach Craig Montvidas are getting ready for the anthems
Rookies Marisèla de Wind (21), Eva Voortman (18) and Laura Treurniet (7) look on from the dug-out
Nathalie Gosewehr leads off the game for the Dutch Team
Meike Witteveen follows her in the batter's box
Karin Tuk on deck, while Saskia Kosterink hits
Saskia Kosterink and Nathalie Gosewehr running on first and second base, respectively,
in the third inning; Nathalie later scored the tying run
Pitcher Lindsey Meadows delivers a pitch
Bob and Marcia, the parents of Noëmie Brandjes look on from the stance
(photos made by Rich Hooff, Nathalie Franssen and Sanne Oude Egberink)
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