European Softball Championships 2007
	Netherlands vs. Germany May 29, 2007

Compiled and Copyright © 1997-2007 by Marco Stoovelaar

Dutch win third in a row
Nederlands | Box Score & More information
AMSTERDAM (Neth.) - The Dutch National Softball Team on Tuesday-evening won its third game in a row on the 15th European Softball Championship and it was a wild one. The Dutch team beat Germany, 12-3, in five innings, which had to offer everything, basehits, walks, errors, wild pitches, passed balls, pinch-hitters, defensive moves, re-entries, five pitching changes a 3-error play and a lot of runs. In other words, a good game for the scorekeepers.

Again, all games could be played on the third day of the event, despite some rainy and also cold moments. The game between the Netherlands and Germany, which was attended by Mrs. Erica Terpstra, the President of the Dutch Olympic Committee & Dutch Sports Federation, was delayed briefly due to rain for six minutes in the top of the first at bat. At that moment, the inning already lasted 26 minutes and the Dutch team had batted around, scoring seven runs. After the game resumed, an eighth run was added. With one out, Kim Kluijskens became the first Dutch runner as her hit into leftfield was missed. Then, a single, two more errors and a sac-fly followed, before Jolanda Kroesen added an RBI-single. The bases were then loaded when the next two batters walked and that resulted in a pitching change. The last walk was issued to Ellen Venker, who moments later would write some history. New pitcher Vivian Melzer walked the first batter she faced to bring in another run, then gave up a baseclearing, 3-run triple to Saskia Kosterink. On this triple, Ellen Venker was one of the runners who scored, but her run was the 800th scored by the Dutch team during an European Championship, since the first one was organised in 1979 in Rovereto (Italy). Hereafter, the rain delay followed and six minutes later, Kosterink scored when Kim Kluijskens doubled.

In the second inning, four more runs were added, highlighted by a 2-run single by Lynn Geertman and another RBI-triple by Saskia Kosterink. The German defense committed four errors in this at bat to bring their total to seven. Three of the four errors came on the same play. With Lynn Geertman on first base and two outs, a simple grounder towards third base by Marjan Smit resulted in a fielding error and two throwing errors to bring in a run and put the batter on second base. Next, Saskia Kosterink followed with her second RBI-triple. Of the twelve Dutch runs given up by three pitchers, only two were earned. After Kosterink's second triple, the third German pitcher was brought in and she silenced the Dutch offense in the last three innings of this game, giving up only three more basehits. In the fifth inning, the Dutch got the bases loaded with two outs on a single, walk and hit by pitch, but couldn't add more runs. Leading 12-0 after two innings, everyone was thinking again that the Dutch would end the game with a 15-run (maybe even more) difference, but, as mentioned, the third German pitcher, gave up no more runs.

Dagmar Bloeming again started for the Dutch in this game. The day before, she went the distance in the 4-inning game against Greece, but was given the opportunity to add some more pitches and throw some more innings today. After two innings, Bloeming, who gave up one hit, was relieved by Rebecca Soumeru. After a scoreless third inning, the experienced pitcher of Dutch champion Sparks Haarlem ran into problems in the fourth German at bat. After walking lead-off batter Christine Bruckner, Michele Veselinovic singled. Soumeru recovered and two grounders followed, but that produced the first German run. A passed ball then resulted in another German run. Next, two German batters reached base, as Soumeru issued two walks. Dutch Manager Liz Kelly then decided to re-enter Dagmar Bloeming, who saw a run being scored on a wild pitch, but then ended the inning with a strikeout. In the fifth inning, the rookie struckout another batter, then gave up a single to Christina Lipp. Moments later, Lipp was forced out at second base, as she initially had to wait near first base because of the play on a hit by next batter Christine Bruckner. She hit the ball into rightfield, but there it was missed. Rightfielder Chantal Versluis, who is a regular infielder, recovered quickly and threw out Lipp at second base. A grounder towards first base then ended the German fifth and the game. Another victory was in the books.
(May 29)