by Henry Perkins, www.namur-angels.be
The Angels won their eighth consecutive game on Saturday afternoon, facing off against the Brussels Kangaroos. It was the first meeting of the season for the two teams, and in round one the well-balanced attack of the Angels was too much for the Kangaroos to counter.
Poor defense and free passes, the Achilles Heel for the Kangaroos on Saturday, played a significant role as early as the first inning when Namur was able to put up four runs on two kangaroo errors, two walks, and a hit by each Jerome Sana and Vincent King. After tallying another run in the bottom of the second, the Angels had another big inning in the third, when they plated three more runs capitalizing on two more walks and two hit batters. Already holding an 8-0 lead, more than enough for Angel’s starting pitcher Zachary Potter, Namur left fielder Juny Gressman smoked a two run double into the left center gap scoring Henry Perkins and Jerome Sana, increasing the lead to an even ten. Namur went on to add five more runs on the afternoon bringing the total for the day to 15.
Despite finding themselves trailing by a wide margin, the Kangaroo bats continued to battle and ultimately pushed around two runs before the game ended after seven innings with a final score of 15-2.
On the day the Angels had only five hits but were still able to plate 15, taking advantage of the many free bases relinquished by the Kangaroos. Fronting the offensive charge were Jerome Sana, one hit, one RBI and three runs scored, Henry Perkins, two hits, three RBI’s and one run scored, and Juny Gressman, one hit, three RBI’s and one run scored. Brussels’ first baseman Manuel Escarfullen paced the Kangaroo offensive, leading the way with two hits.
Namur’s starting pitcher Zachary Potter pitched the full seven innings on the way to the win, recording ten K’s and issuing just one base on balls. Kangaroo starter Harold Castillo took the loss, working five innings with four strikeouts, six walks, and five HBP’s.
In another well-rounded team effort, Namur continued their dominance over the Brussels Kangaroos in the second game of the two game weekend set. Despite a late inning hick-up, the Angels ultimately breezed on to win by eight.
The Angels got the scoring started early, putting up a run in each of the first two innings, the second of which came on a laser beam homerun off the bat of right fielder Cedric Nauts. Namur was able to significantly expand their lead in the top of third when they plated five more runs, all of which scored with two outs. After a leadoff walk, Nicolas Migeot reached on a fielder’s choice and Henry Perkins quickly followed him with a single to left. After a flyout, the Angels had runners on first and second with two outs. The next batter, Jerome Sana, walked to load the bases and the following batter, Vincent King, walked as well, bringing in Migeot. First baseman Thomas Vandenabeele then stroked a single to right, which brought home two more. A costly error and other walk allowed an additional two runs to score, and at the end of 2 1/2 innings the Angels led 7-0. The Angels continued to extend their lead, adding two more in the fourth, one in the fifth, two in the sixth, and one in the seventh, advancing their lead to 13-0 at the close of the top of the seventh.
With a commanding lead Namur switched out starter Harold Gerard, who had cruised up to this point and had only relinquished one hit, for youngster Julien Soree. Despite a hard fought effort, Soree struggled to put down the Kangaroos, and after two hits, an Angel’s error, and several walks, Brussels closed the gap to 13-5. Nicolas Migeot took over on the mound at this point, finishing the game and freezing the score on the way to the Namur win.
Angel’s southpaw Harold Gerard had another stellar day on the bump. On the way to the win he pitched six innings and had nine K’s, no walks and no runs. Kangaroo starter Cedric Desmedt took the loss, working 3 1/3 innings with five strikeouts and seven walks.
Namur had 14 hits on the afternoon, led by Thomas Vandenabeele and Henry Perkins who each had three. Jerome Sana, Vincent King, and Cedric Nauts added to the offensive firepower by notching two hits apiece. The Kangaroo’s offensive effort wasn’t nearly as explosive, but both Manuel Martinez and Harold Castillo recorded a single and a run scored.
{mrb-result:2009-05-16|2009-05-17|BE}
{mrb-standing:belgium-2009}