by A.P. Beauregard, www.namur-angels.be
Matthieu Deltombe’s two-strike, two-out double in the top of the ninth inning put Namur ahead 8-7, a score that would stand final, in a thrilling come from behind victory for the Angels on Saturday in Brasschaat. The home Braves jumped out to a 7-1 lead after two innings but were unable to score any more runs the remainder of the game thanks to solid pitching from starter Shouta Ichinoseki and Nicolas Migeot, who picked up the win in relief.
Steadily chipping away at the lead; 7-4 after four innings, 7-5 after eight, the stage was set for a dramatic conclusion to the game. Ronny Heymans led off the top half of the ninth with a walk, Migeot singled, and, amongst a pop-fly and a groundout, left fielder Thomas Vandenabeele reached base to bring up Deltombe. Heymans had scored to make the deficit one run when Deltombe, down to his last strike, lined a double off the wall in right center to score Migeot and Vandenabeele and give Namur its first lead of the game. That lead turned into a victory when Migeot closed out the bottom of the ninth in one-two-three fashion.
Namur was led offensively by Ludovic Geuquet and Gracjan Kraszewski, both of whom turned in 3-for-5 performances on the day; Kraszewski adding two doubles and a stolen base to his day at the plate. Florentin Goyens, Migeot, and Deltombe all had two hits as well.
Brasschaat, impressive at the plate, had five players register multiple hit games; Hans Heyrman, Erwin Maes, Johnny Peerens, Sintclair White, and Christophe De La Hamayde.
Left-hander Harold Gerard took the ball for Namur in opposition of Braves righty Sintclair White on Sunday, and after yielding a run in the first inning did not allow anymore en route to picking up his second victory of the year (2-0) in a 7-1 Angels win. Namur hit well from top to bottom in the lineup, seven players hit safely, Thomas Vandenabeele’s 3-for-3 and Jerome Sana’s 3-for-4 leading the team. Gracjan Kraszewski and Nicolas Migeot both had two hits apiece as well.
Despite scoring just one run, the Braves hit well for the second day in a row recording eight hits as team. This number, however, was top heavy as two players, Hans Heyrman and Jilles Sel, each picked up three hits apiece.
With the sweep the Angels improved to 5-1 on the season and kept pace with first place Hoboken, who at 4-0 on the season maintained the top spot in the Belgian First Division.
| Time | Home | Visitor | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, April 24 2010 | ||||
 |
15:30 | The Merchtem Cats | K. Deurne Spartans | 01:09 |
|
15:30 | Brasschaat Braves | Namur Angels | 07:08 |
|
15:30 | K. Mortsel Stars | Hoboken Pioneers | 00:05 |
| Sunday, April 25 2010 | ||||
|
15:30 | Hoboken Pioneers | K. Mortsel Stars | 04:03 |
|
15:30 | Namur Angels | Brasschaat Braves | 07:01 |
|
15:30 | K. Deurne Spartans | The Merchtem Cats | 10:02 |
Standings
| # | Team | W | L | R+ | R- | .pct | GB | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hoboken Pioneers | 20 | 2 | 222 | 64 | .909 | 0 | W5 |
| 2 | Port of Antwerp Greys | 16 | 8 | 195 | 111 | .666 | 5 | W2 |
| 3 | K. Deurne Spartans | 13 | 10 | 172 | 139 | .565 | 7.5 | L1 |
| 4 | Brasschaat Braves | 13 | 10 | 186 | 192 | .565 | 7.5 | W2 |
| 5 | Namur Angels | 10 | 14 | 132 | 155 | .416 | 11 | L2 |
| 6 | K. Mortsel Stars | 7 | 17 | 134 | 211 | .291 | 14 | W2 |
| 7 | The Merchtem Cats | 3 | 21 | 86 | 255 | .125 | 18 | L10 |
