by Michael Benton, www.namur-angels.be
Angels Top Pioneers, 8-6
Saturday (27.08.2011) the Angels headed up to Hoboken to face the Pioneers continuing the 2011 Belgian League playoffs and jumped out to a big lead after 4 very fast innings to start the game. The Angels took a 7-0 lead and held on despite a fighting effort from the Pioneers to take the 8-6 victory moving them with a half game of first place and can take over the top spot with another win Sunday at home against these same Pioneers.
The first 4 innings of this game flew by as both pitchers kept each team from putting much together offensively. In the fifth inning, however, the bats came to life for the Angels as they dropped 7 runs. The Pioneers gave the Angels their rally by walking leadoff man, Cedric Nauts, and then failed to record an out on two consecutive bunt attempts by the Angels, with Thomas Vandenabeele’s bunted ball being thrown down the right field line to give the Angels their first run. With the bases loaded later in the inning, Angel Williams Rosario hit a two-run single to extend the lead to 3-0 before Michael Benton then doubled in the 4th run of the inning. Cedric Nauts walked for the second time in the inning to bring in another run and then Ludovic Geuquet and Vandenabeele each singled in a run to run the score to 7-0. After the Pioneers scratched and clawed their way back into the game, Jerome Sana hit a home run to lead off the 9th, giving the Angels an extra insurance run.
Justin Latta got the start for the Angels and was real sharp in his first 4 innings continuing on his complete game shutout performance last weekend. In the bottom of the fifth, however, he began to have issues with his command as he gave the Pioneers their first two runs of game by walking four hitters and hitting another one with a pitch. Fortunately, he was able to get out of the inning without surrendering any more runs. After that he had to battle his way through the rest of the game, surrendering a two-run triple in the 6th and another RBI triple in the 7th. With the score at 8-5, Latta went out for the 9th to try and finish for his second CG in a row. He gave up an unearned run in the ninth and had runners on second and third with two outs but then came up with a big strikeout to end the threat and the game. He finished allowing 6 runs, 5 earned, on 7 hits, 5 walks with 10 strikeouts.
The Angels knocked 13 hits in the game, 3 each from Ludovic Geuquet and Theodore deBellefroid, who did well in his first game back following his trip to the MLB Academy in Italy. Vincent King also had a multiple hit game and everyone in the lineup reached base safely in the game. These same two teams finish up their series on Sunday (28.08.2011).
Angels Drop Game at Home to Pioneers
The Namur Angels did not have their best game on Sunday (28.08.2011) against the Hoboken Pioneers and eventually fell by a score of 3-1. The game could have been much worse but solid pitching from the Angels kept them close all the way but the offense could never put together a good rally, with only 4 runners reaching second base all game.
Cedric Desmedt got the start for the Angels and pitched into the 6th inning before leaving with the bases loaded. He had to battle all game long as while the Angels rarely put runners in scoring position, the Pioneers had at least one runner reach second in every inning except for the 7th. Cedric came up with the big pitches he needed in the first three innings and kept the Pioneers scoreless until the 4th when a walk and an error put a man on 3rd with nobody out. That runner would eventually score on a single. Runs came across in each of the 5th and 6th innings as well, all charged to Desmedt, who finished with 5 innings, 3 runs, 1 earned, on 7 hits and 4 walks with 2 strikeouts. Adrien Stokart pitched the final 12 outs of the game allowing no runs on 3 hits and one walk keeping the Angels in the game.
The Angels threatened in the first inning when Vincent King and Angel Williams Rosario each singled and then moved to second and third on a passed ball. However, the Angels could not come up with the big hit and there remained no score. The Angels got their one run in the 5th when Ludovic Geuquet singled then was bunted over to second by his brother Adrien, and then scored on a single from King with 2 outs. That was the last threat the Angels had against the Pioneers though dropped their 3rd game of 4 to the Pioneers in the playoffs.
Vincent King, Ludovic Geuquet, and Angel Williams Rosario each had multi-hit games for the Angels and Nicholas Frederick added one more for a total of 7 Angel hits on the game off of Pioneer starter Derek Bondo who threw a complete game. The Angels are now 1.5 games behind the Pioneers for first in the playoffs, but remain a half game ahead of the Royal Greys for second. Next week the Angels look to get back in the win column against the Borgerhout Squirrels next Saturday and Sunday (03-04.09.2011).
Photo: Frédéric de Laminne, www.event-pics.be