The Netherlands Women Softball Team finished their two-week Japan trip to complete their preparations for the Olympic Games in Beijing on Tuesday and travelled already to China. They played three exhibitions games in Japan, against the National Teams from Canada and Japan, versus the Tohoku Fukushi University.
In their meetings with fellow Olympics participants Canada and Japan, the Dutch squad didn’t score any runs. On July 25 they got shut out by the maple leafs 0-5. Canada’s starter Lauren Regular held them to two walks and a base runner on an error in the first five innings, striking out seven. Robin Macking replaced Regular and gave up the lone Netherlands hit to Ellen Venker in the sixth. Melanie Matthews and Jennifer Salling hit homeruns against Dutch starter Judith Van Kampen, who threw a complete game.
In their match against Japan a day later they also didn’t brought a runner home, losing 0-4. The home team scored twice in the fifth and the sixth to take the win. Britt Vonk had two of the three Dutch hits in her international debut. Marjan Smit also reached on a single. Rebecca Soumeru opened the game with four two-hit innings, before the Japanese offense came through and Judith Van Kampen relieved her in the fifth.
They completed their exhibition schedule with a 2-1 win in a nine-inning game against the Tohoku Fukushi University last Saturday. They scored both runs in the on Daisy De Peinder’s two-run double. Kristie De Vries walked two batters in the first, which were the last two runners, who would reach base against her in a five-inning start. Rebecca Soumeru and Judith Van Kampen also pitched in the game. The University squad scored their run in the eighth on a RBI single.
The team said farewell to Tokyo on Monday and arrived in Beijing on Tuesday evening. They are going to open the Olympic Softball tournament on August 12 against China. Besides the host, Canada and Japan, the USA, Venezuela, Australia and Taiwan will be their opponents.
You can find full Recaps and Box scores of the Japan Trip on the Official Website of the Netherlands Women Softball Team.