Rare losses for two top clubs in Holland Hoofdklasse

by Pim van Nes

Both MINOLTA PIONIERS and CORENDON KINHEIM lost a game each in the three games weekend of Whitsuntide. They were last year’s finalists in the play-offs and this year they are back on top of Hoofdklasse ranking as numbers one and two. Rather unexpectedly each of them suffered a loss versus slumping opponents. At first PIONIERS lost Sunday’s home game versus ADO from The Hague (4-6) and on Monday KINHEIM lost their home game versus L&D AMSTERDAM (2-6). ADO and AMSTERDAM had suffered from losing streaks of ten, respective five games until they turned out blushing victorious in the homes of Netherlands top two clubs since two years.

Key role for AMSTERDAM in its resurrection at Whitsuntide was played by starting pitcher Kenny Berkenbosch, former pro player in the Minor Leagues for the FLORIDA MARLINS organization. As from the begin of his game Berkenbosch has been leading in the score, thanks to RBI singles by Cuban Fausto Alvares Rizo and by American Ryan Murphy in the first inning: 4-0. Later in the game Murphy added another two runs scored on his double. Berkenbosch completed his road game during nine innings striking out seven, walking none and conceding two (earned) runs on six hits for his fourth Hoofdklasse win this season. PIONIERS surprised ADO generously on Dutch Mother’s Day with six fielding errors and giving up its second defeat of the season with all six runs unearned on the pitchers Daan de Jong (5) and Czech Jan Rehacek (1). For ADO it was only the first victory of the season.

Rare losses for two top clubs in Holland Hoofdklasse

Two clubs from Rotterdam SPARTA/FEYENOORD (ranked third) and DOOR NEPTUNUS (fourth) closed in to the two top clubs by each sweeping their opponents in the three games weekend MEDIAMONKS RCH and MR COCKER HCAW. Impressive were the four NEPTUNUS homeruns versus HCAW on Saturday. Raily Legito in the second inning, Ivanon Coffie (2) in the fourth, Martijn Meeuwis and Jeffrey Arends (3) in the sixth combined in seven runs batted in as basis for the 14-1 victory in Bussum. After two home defeats HCAW was in for revenge in Rotterdam, where ex-Major League player Ralph Millard opened the Monday score with a double and a run: 1-0. It took NEPTUNUS after several bases loading attacks until the sixth inning to gain the lead in the game thanks to productive captain Jeroen Sluijter (3-1). In the eighth substitute catcher Lennart Koster RBI singled for the 4-1 final result after Coffie’s double.

After tomorrow the two European Cup holders KINHEIM and NEPTUNUS will try for the third time to play their game, which was rained out twice in April. Ever since Holland has enjoyed summerlike conditions with an average of 25 degrees and cloudless skies. Next weekend Hoofdklasse will proudly present its second series between the two leading clubs. The first time PIONIERS swept AMSTERDAM out of the top ranking positions and in this coming up clash PIONIERS will meet KINHEIM.

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Saturday, May 10 2008

Rare losses for two top clubs in Holland Hoofdklasse