The Honkbalweek Haarlem 2018 is entering its final stretch of the preliminary round. On Wednesday Chinese Taipei scored late to prevail over Germany and Japan defeated the Netherlands in extra innings to remain undefeated. The Dutch team finished the first round with a 3-2 record. Japan has been 5-0. The other four teams will play again on Thursday. In the afternoon Cuba hopes for its first win against Chinese Taipei. Italy and Germany will play for fourth place in the first round in the evening.
Chinese Taipei 100 100 450 11 11 1 Germany 000 003 000 3 7 3
A three-run home run by Wei Chih Chen and a three-run triple by Hsiao Yun Chen highlighted Chinese Taipei’s late nine-run charge to beat Germany 11-3 in the afternoon game at Pim Mulier Stadium. Germany just had taken a 3-2 lead on a two-run single by Simon Gühring and a RBI single by Vincent Ahrens. But CT answered with four runs in the seventh and five in the eighth to secure the victory. Matt Kemp, Lukas Steinlein, Maurice Wilhelm, Daniel Mendelsohn, Jonathan Eisenhuth and Florian Seidel took the mound for Germany.
Japan 000 100 200 2 5 6 0 Netherlands 000 120 000 0 3 12 3
The Netherlands out-hit Japan 12-6 on Wednesday evening, but in the end Team Nippon won 5-3 after ten innings. Japan somehow was able to score two runs on a sac bunt play in the top of the tenth inning after they moved the runner to second and third with previous bunt. In the seventh Japan had tied the game at 3-3 with a solo home run by Ryosuke Tatsumi and on a muffed throw. The Dutch team had taken the lead on a two-run double by Rodney Daal in the fifth. Kevin Heijstek, Jim Ploeger, Berry van Driel and Loek van Mil pitched for the Netherlands. Japan’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Hiroshi Inomata, threw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the contest.
All information about the Honkbalweek Haarlem can be found at www.honkbalweek.nl. A simple live stream is available at YouTube.
Photo by Mrs Jane Verhoeven