The 28th edition of the Honkbalweek Haarlem will bring a Sunday afternoon final between home team Netherlands and round robin number three Japan. The two baseball nations will meet twice in prestigious Tokyo Dome in November, but already on Sunday at Pim Mulier Stadium in Haarlem they will meet for the title at the Honkbalweek.
During last night’s game between Australia vs Japan, the attendance of 2,300 was entertained between innings with live streaming from Surrey, Canada, where the Dutch Women’s Softball National Team competed in the page playoff game against Venezuela to clinch a historic fourth place in the WBSC Women’s Softball World Championship.
Between the afternoon game and the night game, youth teams of Oosterhout Twins and Amsterdam Pirates played the final game of the Honkbalweek Cup youth tournament, which started long before the Honkbalweek Harlem. The Twins beat the Pirates 2-1 and Twins pitcher Ruben de Koninck was awarded MVP of the final game. Netherlands manager Steve Janssen awarded the trophy to the Twins. Honkbalweek Frits Mulder invited Ruben de Koninck for the ceremonial first pitch of the big game between Australia and Japan. The young MVP, before leaving for Oosterhout, was so kind to pose for photographer Kotaro Nagata.
Curacao 000 200 000 2 4 5 2 Chinese Taipei 001 010 000 3 5 12 1
Chinese Taipei walked off in the game for fourth place at the Honkbalweek Haarlem on Saturday afternoon at Pim Mulier Stadium. With the extra inning tiebreaker rule in effect Chinese Taipei scored three runs to two by Curacao to win the game 5-4. Kelvin Silvania hit a two-run home run for Curacao. Jung Hung Sen picked up the win in relief. Rodienne Albertus got charged with the loss. Prior to the game the Dutch Women’s Baseball National Team got introduced to the crowd with pitcher Maud Werkman throwing out the first pitch.
Japan 021 000 501 9 10 0 Australia 020 000 101 4 15 0
Japan reached the championship game at the Honkbalweek Haarlem with a 9-4 victory over Australia in the evening game on Saturday. Five runs I the top of the seventh extended the advantage of the team from Tokyo from 3-2 to 8-2 and decided the outcome. Mitch Dening had four hits for Australia, which actually out-hit Japan 15-10. Takuya Kato earned the win. Tom Bailey took the loss, surrendering three hits, three runs and four base on balls in 5 2/3 innings.
MVP of the game between Australia and Japan was once more Japanese first baseman Ryoya Kaneko. At the plate he helped his winning team with a walk, a triple and two singles out in four at-bats, four runs batted in and two runs scored. It was the third time Kaneko was announced as player of the game.
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