by A.P. Beauregard, www.namur-angels.be
On Saturday, April 17th, the Namur Angels took on the K. Mortsel Stars in Namur. Following a Star run in the top half of the second, the game soon took on the feel of a true pitchers’ duel as Bryan Beutels of Mortsel battled fellow right-hander Shouta Ichinoseki of the Angels. The score remained unchanged (1-0 Stars) heading into the bottom of the fourth and Beutels was pitching outstanding, not having allowed a single hit to this point of the game. Following a leadoff single by Gracjan Kraszewski and a Star error which allowed Namur shortstop Theodore De Bellefroid to reach base, Ronny Heymans laid down a perfect bunt single which loaded the bases with no one out. A Jerome Sana single put Namur on the board and the game remained a 2-1 Angels advantage through six innings. In the bottom of the seventh, however, Namur scored three decisive runs and would tack on three more in the eighth to close out an 8-3 victory.
Japanese right-hander Ichinoseki was dominant throughout; posting nine strikeouts in a complete game win to bring his record to (1-1) on the season. Beutels took the loss for Mortsel but pitched well striking out six in six innings of work.
The home side was led by second baseman Florentin Goyens’ 2-5 at the plate, while Heymans, De Bellefroid, Sana, Kraszewski, Adrien Geuquet and Ludovic Geuquet all added one hit apiece.
First baseman Scott Bolcoa led Mortsel with a 2-4 showing at the plate.
The two teams met-up in Morstel for the conclusion of the weekend series on Sunday, April 18th and unlike the previous game it was hitting that would take precedence over pitching.
In the course of a 17-14 slugfest of a victory, the Namur Angels would rack up 16 hits and have six players in the line-up with multiple hit games. Jerome Sana and Ludovic Geuquet would highlight the bunch with three hits a apiece, but it was Sana who played the lead in a 3-4 showing that also saw him score three runs and drive in four. Nicolas Migeot, Gracjan Kraszewski, Theodore DeBellefroid, and Adrien Geuquet all had two hits apiece. Adding to the Angels barrage was centerfielder Matthieu Deltombe who stole three bases on the afternoon.
No less impressive where the bats of the hometown Stars who tallied 13 hits. Headlining the Mortsel offense was Scott Balcoa, who also started the game on the mound, who hit 4-5 with a homerun, three runs scored, four RBI, and two stolen bases. Teammate and third baseman Cedric Vandesompele went 3-5, all going for extra bases, and scored and drove in four runs.
Although the game finished with such a tight margin of victory, this was only made possible by a furious Mortsel comeback in the late innings of the contest. Trailing 16-4 heading into the bottom of the seventh, the Stars put up five in both the seventh and eighth innings to bring the score to 16-9 and 17-14, respectively. Although the 32 combined runs and final score were more reminiscent of an American football game, the Angels were pleased to head south with a hard fought win and a season record of 3-1. In a match that featured a total of six pitchers combined on the mound, it was Namur right-hander Cedric Desmedt, pitching in relief of starter Harold Gerard, who picked up the win.
{mrb-result:2010-04-17|2010-04-18|BE}
{mrb-standing:belgium-2010}