by Michael Perkins, www.namur-angels.be
One Shutout and One Walk-Off Win; Angels Sweep Pioneers
The Namur Angels swept the defending Belgian League champion Hoboken Pioneers this weekend in a tough-fought 2 game series.
The action kicked off Saturday afternoon in Antwerp with American pitcher Justin Latta getting the nod on the mound. Latta, who has arguably been the most dominant pitcher in the Belgian League this year, once again did not disappoint. He completely shut down the Pioneers’ offense, throwing the entire game for his first complete game shutout of the year.
Latta mixed a fastball and slider brilliantly to befuddle Hoboken hitters throughout the game. The Pioneers managed to muster only 5 hits in the contest, many of which were infield singles.
“I just had everything working today,” noted Latta after the game. “I threw a lot of first pitch strikes which then allowed me to mix my off-speed pitches more effectively.”
Latta showed incredible command throughout the game, allowing only one walk and striking out 7 and frustrated hitters by working on both sides of the plate.
Offensively, the Angels scored only 4 runs off tough Belgian pitcher Terrence Antonacci. Angel Williams Rosario and Jerome Sana led the team with 2 hits apiece. Catcher Mike Perkins was 1-5 with 2 runs scored and a stolen base, while Vincent King went 1-4 with a run scored and an RBI.
Brothers Ludovic and Adrien Geuquet each had solid offensive days as well. They both tallied hits in the contest and each had an RBI. The final score of Saturday’s game: Angels 4, Pioneers 0.
Sunday’s contest was a bit more evenly matched and resulted in one of the most exciting finishes for the Angels this season.
Hoboken got off to an early lead, scoring runs in each of the first 3 innings off of Angels pitcher Cedric Desmedt. Desmedt threw 5 innings and allowed 3 runs on 6 hits while striking out 2.
The Angels answered back in the 5th inning when Mike Perkins delivered a bases loaded single that scored 2 runs. Thomas Vandenabeele then showed off his speed by stealing home for the Angels 3rd run. Before the 5th inning the Angels hadn’t managed to score off of Hoboken’s pitcher Derek Bondo.
The Pioneers, however, scored again in the 6th and 8th innings off pitcher Nicolas Migeot to increase their lead 5-3. Migeot provided a solid performance in the game, going the remaining 4 innings and allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits while striking out 4. He also recorded the win in the contest.
Fireworks flew in the bottom of the 9th inning when the Angels rallied from 2 runs down to beat the Pioneers. Angel Williams Rosario provided a clutch 2 out, bases loaded single to tie the game. The next batter, Vincent King, then singled in shortstop Theo De Bellefroid for the walk-off and game winning run.
“It felt great to get that hit,” explained King after the game. “You always want to be that guy that comes through late in the game. I just got a pitch I thought I could handle and muscled it to the outfield. It was a great team win.”
The walk-off 6-5 victory solidified the Angels in third place in the standings and distanced themselves from Hoboken. The sweep was very important for Namur because they are battling to reach the playoffs and finish the first half of the season in the top 4.
{mrb-result:2011-06-11|2011-06-12|BE}
{mrb-standing:belgium-2011}