The NAMUR ANGELS swept a weekend series from the BRUSSELS KANGAROOS, winning 19-6 on Saturday, before coming from behind to win 7-6 on Sunday. Both games were played under beautiful, bright sunshine and featured excellent complete game efforts from NAMUR’s starting pitchers, Adrien Stockart and Nicolas Migeot.
In game one on Saturday in Brussels NAMUR jumped on the board first courtesy of a two run home run by Cedric Nauts in the top of the second inning. BRUSSELS would answer with an unearned run of their own in the bottom of the inning, but wouldn’t cross the plate again until the sixth inning.
NAMUR however kept their offensive momentum going and got everyone involved. In the third inning with one out the ANGELS had five consecutive hitters reach and four came around to score. A single run crossed the plate in the fifth before the ANGELS again played longball to plate two more runs as Morgan Brown drilled a home run to center field. The sixth inning saw NAMUR put the game away with a ten-run outburst highlighted by Ludovic Geuquet’s three-run homer to left field as 15 ANGELS batted and Migeot hammered out two doubles in the inning.
BRUSSELS came back with four runs in the bottom half of the inning, but it was too little too late.
NAMUR peppered out 17 hits led by Ludovic Geuquet, Brown, and Xavier Pierreux with three each. Every ANGEL starter had at least one hit.
Game two featured a much different storyline but ultimately the same result.
BRUSSELS jumped on top with two runs in the top of the first inning. NAMUR came back swinging in their first turn at the plate as Philip Van Woensel cracked a one out double and moved to third on a hit by Morgan Brown before coming in to score on a fielder’s choice groundout by Juny Gressman. The ANGELS drew even in the bottom of the second as Migeot helped his own cause by leading off with a walk and advancing around the bases before coming home on a Caleb Calarco single.
NAMUR took their first lead of the day in the bottom half of the third inning when Brown clubbed his second home run in as many days. The lead was short-lived however as the KANGAROOS stormed back with two more runs to take a 4-3 lead through the fourth inning. Single KANGAROO runs in the fifth and seventh innings put the visitors up by three. In the bottom of the seventh the ANGELS got one back with two out. Calarco and then Van Woensel worked walks before Brown knocked Calarco home with a single. Migeot retired his final seven batters and left it up to the NAMUR bats to come up with the difference.
The bottom of the ninth featured plenty of drama and crafty baseball. Adrien Geuquet led off with a drag bunt single and moved along with another hit by Calarco. After a wild pitch the runners moved up and a strikeout brought Brown to the plate with the tying runs in scoring position and one out. BRUSSELS elected to intentionally walk Brown to load the bases. A second wild pitch scooted away from the catcher and brought home Geuquet as Brown and Calarco moved up 90 feet. BRUSSELS then issued the remainder of a walk to Juny Gressman to again load the bases for Ronny Heymans. Heymans came through by drilling a ball to the gap in left-center field but was nearly robbed on an outstanding running effort by BRUSSELS left fielder Manu Roggen. The ball knicked off his glove and found the turf however and Calarco came home from third with the tying run and as the BRUSSELS infield tried to get outs with Gressman and Heymans caught between bases Brown managed to sneak home with the winning run.
Migeot matched Stockart with a complete game effort on the mound to lead the Angels. Offensively NAMUR collected twelve hits, led by Calarco and Brown with three each.
On Thursday NAMUR entertains MORTSEL in a make-up of a previously postponed match, the next weekend series features the ANGELS against the currently first-place HOBOKEN PIONEERS.
| Time | Home | Visitor | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, April 26 2008 | ||||
 |
15:30 | Royal Greys | The Merchtem Cats | 11:02 |
|
15:30 | Hoboken Pioneers | K. Borgerhout Squirrels | 10:04 |
|
15:30 | Brussels Kangaroos | Namur Angels | 06:19 |
|
15:30 | K. Mortsel Stars | Brasschaat Braves | 23:02 |
| Sunday, April 27 2008 | ||||
|
15:30 | The Merchtem Cats | Royal Greys | 06:12 |
|
15:30 | Brasschaat Braves | K. Mortsel Stars | 13:19 |
|
15:30 | Namur Angels | Brussels Kangaroos | 07:06 |
|
15:30 | K. Borgerhout Squirrels | Hoboken Pioneers | 03:05 |
