ADO played with a changed batting order tonight. Shurty Tremus, who batted most part of the season in the lower part of the order, tonight was the lead-off hitter for the first time since June 10. The team's regular lead-off hitter Jermaine Esprit, who was in the number one spot the last five games, didn't play. As an outfielder, Esprit was replaced by Adrian Anthony, who played in leftfield, while regular leftfielder James Rutherford tonight was the DH, a position Esprit also was used in.

Neptunus got its first scoring opportunity in the second inning. Yuji Nerei led off by reaching on an error, but then starter Akira Okamoto struck out Lennart Koster. Nerei moved when Evert-Jan 't Hoen was hit by a pitch, but Okamoto again followed with a strikeout, this time for Melfried Comenencia, who returned to the line-up after sitting out Saturday's game with an injury. The inning, however, ended when Jeffrey Arends produced a grounder on which Nerei was forced out at third base.
But two innings later, the reigning Dutch champion opened the score. With one out, Lennart Koster singled. He then reached third base when Evert-Jan 't Hoen also singled and was able to score when an error in leftfield was made. With 't Hoen on second base, a strikeout and groundout followed.

...Diegomar Markwell... ...first Dutch save... (Photo: Marco Stoovelaar)

In the fifth inning, Neptunus added a run with two outs. Jeroen Sluijter led off with a walk and advanced on a sac-bunt by Johnny Balentina. After a groundout, Sluijter scored on a double by Raily Legito.
Neptunus made it 3-0 with a run in the sixth at bat, again with two outs. Akira Okamoto walked lead-off hitter Lennart Koster, who went on to score his second run of the evening. The rookie moved to second base on a sac-bunt by Evert-Jan 't Hoen and reached third base on a grounder by Melfried Comenencia, then scored when Jeffrey Arends singled. Okamoto followed by hitting next batter Jeroen Sluijter with a pitch, then ended the inning with his seventh strikeout.
In the last three innings of the game, Okamoto would allow only one more batter to reach base and retired the last seven batters he faced, but his teammates were unable to provide him with enough runs, resulting in his first loss of the season. The Japanese righthander now stands at 5-1.

ADO got two runners on with two outs in the third inning, but the inning ended when Harvey Monte flied out. In the fifth inning, James Rutherford doubled with one out, but he also would be left behind on base.
In the sixth inning, ADO narrowed their deficit to 3-2 by scoring twice. With one out, Harvey Monte singled and moved on a 2-out walk for Kalian Sams. The two runners then scored when Marvin Bleij and Maikel Benner followed with RBI-singles. It marked the end for Neptunus-starter Kevin Heijstek, who was replaced by lefthander Diegomar Markwell. This was the first time in the three seasons that Markwell plays in the Dutch big league that he threw in relief. His 34 previous appearances all were as a starting pitcher, his 35th was as a reliever. Coincidence? Markwell's uniform number is 35... The inning ended when James Rutherford grounded out.

In the eighth inning, ADO was two bases away from the tying run. Adrian Anthony led off with a single to leftfield, but next batter Shurty Tremus struckout on a foul bunt. Anthony then stole second base, but couldn't move when Berry van Driel grounded to third. With two outs, Neptunus-leftfielder Melfried Comenencia came out of the game and was replaced by rookie Calvin Martinus. Last Thursday-evening, Comenencia left the game with a hamstring-injury, then didn't play last Saturday.
In the eighth and ninth inning, Diegomar Markwell was supported with a double play. In the eighth, Kalian Sams walked with one out, but then was thrown out at first base after Marvin Bleij flied out to second base. In the ninth, Remco Seitzinger, who entered the game as a pinch-runner for Maikel Benner in the sixth, walked. Seitzinger then himself was replaced by a pinch-runner, Quensley Bazoer, but he was eliminated when James Rutherford grounded into a double play. After Adrian Anthony reached on an error, Markwell ended the game with a strikeout to earn his first big league-save.
(June 27)

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