  Dutch Team closes with big loss vs. Phillies
Nederlands
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (USA) -
The Dutch Baseball Team closed the inaugural edition of St. Petersburg International Baseball with an 8-3 loss vs. the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday.
On Wednesday, the Dutch squad faced the Tampa Bay Rays, who sent a team existing of non-roster players to St. Petersburg.
Today, the Phillies sent a team comprised of Minor League-players (mostly Single-A and Double-A) to face the Dutch team.
With this loss, the Dutch finished the tournament with an 1-5 record, winning only vs. the Junior Team of Canada.
The Dutch also won a memorial game, but that wasn't part of the tournament.
Besides playing the seven games, the Dutch Team practiced twice a day on non-game days.
The goal for this event wasn't the winning, but prepare the players for the upcoming season under good weather conditions.
On the other hand, the loss vs. St. Petersburg College surely wasn't expected and the defense wasn't playing at its best.
Later this year, another tournament will be staged in St. Petersburg as part of the promotion by Mayor Bill Foster to present his city as an international baseball-city.
Hopefully, the information part of the event will then improve, as there were no play-by-plays, no box scores and no stats available on the website of the event, which was somewhat strange for a baseball-country as the USA.
The games could be somewhat followed through two webcams, but that wasn't the best coverage also, unfortunately.
Next year, there will be another St. Petersburg Baseball International.
The Netherlands expressed interest in coming back to Florida, but it has been reported that Italy also has already been invited and had accepted.
More about the development of this event in Florida surely can be expected in the upcoming months.
The Phillie-minor leaguers immediately took charge of the game in the beginning, as Dutch starter Diegomar Markwell gave up two runs in the first inning when John Suomi (Double-A catcher) homered.
The Phils added a run in the second at bat off the lefthander, who then retired the side in the third, supported by a nice play from second baseman Dwayne Kemp.
The Dutch offense faced Mike Bolsenbroek, the 24-year old pitcher from Apeldoorn.
Last season, his third as a professional, Bolsenbroek pitched in the Single-A team of the Phils and appeared in 18 games.
He finishes with a 2-1 record and a 3.38 ERA, striking out 23 in 32 innings.
In the first inning, Bolsenbroek was greeted with a solo-homerun by Danny Rombley, but that was it for the Dutch, who then were held scoreless in the next six innings.
Trailing 3-1, the Phils took a deciding lead in the fourth inning when they scored five runs, who were all credited to Leon Boyd, who had just taken over for starter Diegomar Markwell.
Boyd gave up two singles, then the bases were loaded when he hit a batter with one out.
Singles by Cody Overbeck (AA) and Chris Frey (AAA) gave the Phils a 5-1 lead and marked the end for Boyd.
Lefthander Nick Veltkamp was brought in, but he started with a wild pitch that resulted in another run.
After the next hitter popped out, an error by short stop Michael Duursma on a grounder by Darin Ruf (A) led to two more runs and closed the book on Boyd, who got credited with three earned runs and two unearned runs.
A flyout then ended the at bat, but the score has gotten almost out of reach, 8-1.
...The American and Dutch flags...
...during the National Anthems...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
From the fifth inning on, the Dutch pitching did fine and gave up no more additional runs and only three more basehits.
In the fifth, Nick Stuifbergen retired the side.
In the sixth, Orlando Yntema gave up two hits and saw a batter reach base on an error in the seventh, but allowed only one runner to reach second base.
In the eighth, David Bergman took over and retired the side, then gave up an one-out single in the ninth, before retiring the next two hitters.
Trailing 8-1, Raily Legito led off the fourth inning with a single, but (after a strikeout) became the third out in the inning when Jeffrey Arends flied out to rightfield.
Legito already had rounded second base on the hit by Arends and therefore was easily retired at first base.
In the fifth inning, Danny Rombley (who was 3-for-3) singled with two outs, but then Randall Simon lined out.
After the '6th inning switch', another batter reached base in the sixth inning when Rien Vernooij singled with two outs, but he also was left behind.
In the seventh, Michael Pluijmers and Shaldimar Daantji walked with two outs, but this time, a grounder ended the inning.
The Dutch finally were able to do something back in the eighth inning and scored two runs.
Triple-A pitcher Derrick Loop started the inning as the fifth Phillies-pitcher, but walked the first three batters he faced.
With Jason Halman, Eugène Kingsale and Rien Vernooij on base, Loop struckout Dirk van 't Klooster, but then gave up an RBI-single to Bas Nooij and another one to Roelie Henrique.
With the bases still loaded, only one out and the tying run on-deck, Loop was replaced by prospect Phillippe Aumont.
The Canadian prevented more runs by striking out Michael Pluijmers and Shaldimar Daantji to end the inning.
In the ninth inning, Aumont returned to the mound and this time struckout Randall Simon, Jason Halman and Eugène Kingsale to end the game, strikeout all five batters he faced and earn a save.
Playing for the Dutch Team were:
C - Sidney de Jong (Jason Halman)
1B - Jeffrey Arends (Bas Nooij, becomes new DH)
2B - Dwayne Kemp (Roelie Henrique)
3B - Raily Legito (Rien Vernooij)
SS - Michael Duursma (Michael Pluijmers)
LF - Bryan Engelhardt (Eugène Kingsale)
CF - Danny Rombley (Shaldimar Daantji)
RF - Dirk van 't Klooster
DH - Randall Simon (played at 1B since 6th)
P - Diegomar Markwell, Leon Boyd, Nick Veltkamp, Nick Stuifbergen, Orlando Yntema, David Bergman
(March 13)
...an overview of Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg during batting practice...
(© Photo: Henk Seppen) |
 
...Left: Dutch starter Diegomar Markwell - Right: Phillie-starter Mike Bolsenbroek...
(© Photos: Henk Seppen) |
 
...Left: Rightfielder Dirk van 't Klooster leaps, but can't catch John Suomi's homerun in the first inning...
...Right: Danny Rombley follows through after hitting his homerun in the first inning...
(© Photos: Henk Seppen) |
 
...Left: Troy Hanzawa is eliminated at second base by short stop Michael Duursma...
...Right: Second baseman Dwayne Kemp, who played a good game defensively...
(© Photos: Henk Seppen) |
 
...Left: Pitching Coach Steve Janssen talks with Pitcher Leon Boyd in the 4th inning; Catcher Sidney de Jong looks on...
...Right: Nick Veltkamp, who took over for Boyd in the fourth inning...
(© Photos: Henk Seppen) |
 
...Left: Reliever Nick Stuifbergen - Right: Randall Simon connects...
(© Photos: Henk Seppen) |
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