THE NETHERLANDS – Maikel Benner and Fausto Álvarez Rizo each had three hits, and the L&D Amsterdam Pirates registered their second blowout victory in as many days against MediaMonks RCH, 12-2, Sunday afternoon in Dutch Major League preseason action at Amsterdam.

The Pirates struck early when Rizo drilled a two-run double in the opening frame for a quick 2-0 advantage. Back-to-back doubles by Wesley Connor and Benner highlighted a two-run second, and the reigning Dutch champions torched two RCH relievers in a five-run sixth en route to the lopsided exhibition win.

Rik Geestman got the starting nod for the home team and pitched four solid innings. The right-hander allowed two walks and just one hit, Ferd van Stekelenburg’s one-out homer in the fourth.

L&D Amsterdam tagged MediaMonks starter Joran Klarenbeek for three doubles, and outhit RCH 15-4.

L&D AMSTERDAM 16, MEDIAMONKS RCH 6

Jos de Jong struck out 11 and the Pirates scored seven runs in the fifth inning en route to a 16-6 victory over the MediaMonks on Saturday.

The MediaMonks opened the scoring in the third on Jim Leijenaar’s RBI single with two outs that plated Mark Smit, who had reached base on a one-out double. But, the No. 1 ranked Pirates grabbed the lead for good with three scores the following inning.

L&D Amsterdam combined a leadoff walk and six consecutive hits to grab a 10-1 lead in the fifth. Key hits in the big inning included Bas de Jong’s two-run double and Zaïr Koeiman’s two-run triple.

The reigning Dutch champions tagged new RCH reliever Dave Draijer for five (four unearned) runs in the seventh highlighted by Bas de Jong’s second home run this spring. The hard-hitting slugger finished with two doubles, a homer, and three RBIs.

CORENDON KINHEIM BLANKS BELGIUM CHAMPIONS

Two-time European champion and No. 3 ranked Corendon Kinheim regrouped after Saturday’s 4-3 loss to the Port of Antwerp Greys to capture a 10-0 win over the defending Belgium League title-holders on Sunday at Haarlem.

Kinheim ace David Bergman tossed four perfect innings in his first exhibition appearance this spring. Bergman is a member of the Dutch national team that stunned the Dominican Republic twice at the recently concluded World Baseball Classic.

The right-hander, who went 8-1 last season with a 1.42 ERA, retired all 12 batters he faced in dominating fashion that included nine strikeouts.

Kinheim broke a scoreless deadlock in the fourth when another national team standout, Bryan Engelhardt, hit a two-out double and scored on Rafael Jozefa’s RBI single. The Dutch powerhouse added a trio of runs in the third, and four scores in the seventh to claim the preseason victory.

SPARTA/FEYENOORD 8, ADO 3

Rob Cordemans fanned five of the first six batters he faced and Sparta/Feyenoord knocked off ADO, 8-3, Saturday in an exhibition matchup at The Hague.

Cordemans fell behind 1-0 in the third thanks to a leadoff double by Michel Croes, who crossed the plate on an error. But the Rotterdam-based club pulled even an inning later off ADO starter Ludwin Obispo.

Sparta/Feyenoord tagged reliever Reynaldo Sarmiento Claro with two runs in the sixth. Jan Baldee and Rubinet Koko opened the frame with back-to-back singles, and scored on Gino Henson’s two-run hit. A three-run eighth, highlighted by another RBI single by Henson, stretched the lead to 6-1.

ADO put two runs on the board off rookie hurler Jeremy Ishak in the bottom of the same inning to make the score 6-3. However, Sparta/Feyenoord tacked on a pair of runs in the ninth to claim the victory.

On Sunday, Sparta/Feyenoord remained undefeated in preseason action with a 7-5 win over ADO at Rotterdam.

Source: Grand Slam Stats & News

Tags: Netherlands