by Michael Perkins, www.namur-angels.be
Latta Pitches Gem; Angels Shut Out Braves 6-0
Justin Latta proved he was one of the top arms in the Belgian League last weekend when he threw his first complete game of the season. He continued his impressive run this Saturday (21.5.11) against the visiting Brasschaat Braves.
Latta pitched 8 scoreless frames in Namur, while surrendering only 3 hits and striking out an impressive 12 batters. What’s even more impressive was his control of the strike zone. Latta allowed only a single walk in his 8 brilliant innings of work.
“I’ve really been working on getting ahead of the hitters and mixing my pitches,” Latta noted after the contest. “Getting that first strike really allows me to mix my changeup and slider into the counts.”
Latta struggled at times earlier in the season with his control, but really seems to have “hit his stride” as of late. The shutout victory Saturday marked his second consecutive win, and increased his strikeout total to 19 over the last two games.
The Angels provided run support early in the game, scoring 2 runs in the first inning and another in the second off of Brasschaat pitcher Ulysses Roque. Cleanup hitter Angel Rosario Williams drove in Mike Perkins with a single up the middle in the first, and later scored on a passed ball to put the Angels up 2-0.
Namur struck again the next inning when Florentin Goyens hit a missile to right field for his first triple of the season. Goyens later scored on a wild pitch. Goyens also singled and scored again in the 8th inning, finishing the day an impressive 2-3 with 2 runs scored.
Angel’s shortstop Theo De Bellefroid matched Goyens with a notable offensive day of his own. Bellefroid was 2-5 on the day with an 8th inning 2 RBI double. Jacob Huffman contributed a stellar performance as well, going 2-4 at the plate and pitching a perfect ‘1-2-3’ 9th inning.
The win was the Angel’s 4th in a row, and third on the season against rival Brasschaat Braves.
Perkins Tallies 5 Hits; Angels Outslug Braves for 5th Straight Win
The Namur Angels continued playing hot baseball Sunday (22.5.11), beating the Brasschaat Braves 13-10 in Antwerp. The win marked their 5th straight victory while pushing them further up the standings in the Belgian Baseball League.
The Angels got to work early off Braves starter Tacco Van Den Heuvel, scoring 7 runs in the first inning alone.
American catcher Mike Perkins had a career day, going 5-5 in the game with 3 runs scored and an RBI triple. Perkins’ 5 hits contributed to an astonishing 16 hits in the game by Namur. Nearly every Angel in the lineup notched a hit in the contest.
Brothers Ludovic and Adrien Geuquet each had impressive days at the plate. Ludovic went 2-5 with a double, RBI, and 2 runs scored, while Adrien finished the day 3-5 with a double, 2 runs scored, and a stolen base.
Other offensive standouts included Nicolas Migeot (1-4, 2 RBI), Vincent King (2-5, double, 2 runs scored), and Thomas Vandenabeele (1-4, RBI).
Sim Ruts had an incredible game at the plate for the Braves. Ruts was 4-6 with a triple, HR, and 4RBIs in the contest. His 6th inning homerun was a grand slam, and got the Braves back into the game after the Angels dominated early on.
On the pitching side, starter Cedric Desmedt threw 3 shutout innings before exiting the game due to soreness in his throwing shoulder. Desmedt struck out 3 in the outing, allowing 3 hits and walking 4.
The Angel’s threw 3 different pitchers over the remainder of the game, including Nicolas Migeot, Angel Rosario Williams, and Vincent King. Migeot came in to throw a scoreless 4th inning, then returned in the 8th and 9th to shut down a potential Braves comeback.
Migoet’s outings in the game (emphasis on the plural), allowed him to pick up both the win and the save in the same game. Migeot combined to throw 3 innings, allowing no runs on 2 hits while striking out 2.
The Angels sweep of Brasschaat marked the second time they’ve swept the Braves this season. With the win the Angels improved to 9-5 on the year, and improved their consecutive win total to 5 games. Namur hosts the Borgerhout Squirrels in a rare midweek series this Tuesday (24.5.11). The Angels will be looking for revenge against Borgerhout, as the Squirrels swept them in the first series of the year.
{mrb-result:2011-05-21|2011-05-22|BE}
{mrb-standing:belgium-2011}
{mrb-schedule:2011-05-24|2011-05-29|BE}