NED 000 000 400 4 8 2 USF 300 100 000 4 9 3
Box score and Play by Play (pdf-file)
Full Recap on USF website
For the first time featuring their final roster for the 2009 World Baseball Classic, the Netherlands National Team rallied from a 0-4 deficit to get another tie in a warm-up game against the University of South Florida at the Red McEwen Field in Tampa, Florida.
USF scored three runs in the first frame against Dutch starter Sidney Ponson on a passed ball and RBI singles by Stephen Hunt and Trey Manz. They added another tally in the fourth period on Ryan Lockwood’s RBI single for a 4-0 lead.
The WBC participant Netherlands came back in the seventh inning. Sharlon Schoop led off with a walk. After two quick outs, the European offense got going. Michael Duursma reached on a single and advanced Schoop to third, before Eugene Kingsale brought home the first run with a double. Randall Simon followed with a two-run single into left field, scoring Duursma and Kingsale. Yurendell de Caster, who was three-for-four, followed with a RBI double to tie the contest at four.
Ponson pitched the first two innings, allowing three runs (2 ER) on five hits and two walks, striking out three. David Bergman gave up an unearned run on two hits in two innings of work. Alex Smit also pitched two innings, Rob Cordemans, Michiel van Kampen and Leon Boyd each one.
Ponson talked after the game to a USF reporter:
“It doesn’t matter who you play against, when you step in between these two white lines, you have to be able to play. These guys are pretty good. They have good fundamentals. This program is going to be very good for this school.”
South Florida is currently 1-2 in the 2009 season, which started last Friday. They are playing in the Big East Conference. It was the third exhibition game (W-L-T, 1-0-2) for the Netherlands before the start of the World Baseball Classic on March 7th against the Dominican Republic. Tonight at 6pm ET the Dutch team faces the Manatee Junior College in another warm-up.