Iber Lengua Terrasvogels opens Cup Winners Cup with win in marathon-game
Nederlands
Iber Lengua Terrasvogels has started the European Cup Winners Cup on Sunday-evening with 6-5 victory against Moskovia Marino from Russia in a game that turned into an interesting and exciting match-up.
The decision fell after almost three-and-a-half-hour of playing and in the thirteenth inning!
Then, it was Marije Schoenmaker who, with one out, scored the winning run, resulting in Terrasvogels winning the opening game.
After the long game, it was Sparks Haarlem that defeated Fiorini Forlì from Italy, 7-4.
Earlier Dutch champion Tex Town Tigers opened the European Cup Tournament with an 8-0 shutout-win vs. the Swedish Skövde Saints.
So, it was a successful day for the Dutch participating teams and a nice opening day for the tournament with exciting games!
The day for the Terrasvogels players and staff started around 1:00 PM in Hotel De Weyman, where the team stays during the tournament.
New uniforms and other clothing were distributed, of course there was the checking in into the nice, comfortable rooms and there was a lunch at the hotel.
In the afternoon, coach Helen Kuyper, team manager Martin de Jonker and media officer Marco Stoovelaar attended the technical meeting where the passports and bats were controlled and that all went very smoothly.
Around 5:00 PM, at the nice Nol Houtkamp Sportpark, the opening ceremony was held of the enormous event, which stages the tournament for both the European Cup and the Cup Winners Cup.
For the first time in history, the A-Pools of both tournaments are being held at the same site.
And that resulted in a nice and full view with nineteen teams, 28 umpires, seven official scorers and a big numbers of notable officials, including Don Porter, the President of the International Softball Federation (ISF) and Ron Radigonda, the President of the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), but also André van Overbeek, the Dutch president of the European Softball Federation (ESF).
The European and Dutch national anthems were played and the ceremonial first pitches were thrown by the youngest softball-members of organizing clubs Olympia Haarlem and RCH-Pinguïns.
They threw the ball to our Solange Starrenburg, who was the catcher.
At 6:00 PM, the opening game started and again a Russian team underscored again that they can be tough opponents.
In the first four at bats, Terrasvogels had no chance and didn't even reached base off pitcher Shembereva, who in that span struckout six batters.
In the meantime, Moskovia took an 1-0 lead in the first inning.
Terrasvogels-pitcher Aimee Murch started with two strikeouts, but then gave up a single and walked a batter.
With runners on first and second, a grounder towards second base appeared to be the third out in the inning, but the umpire saw it differently and so the runner from second base, who already was slowing down, was able to score the first run.
In the fifth inning, Moskovia doubled its lead.
With one out, a basehit was hit, then the first base-umpire called an illegal pitch and then a throwing error led to the second Russian run.
From the sixth inning on Terrasvogels recovered strongly and not only showed character, but also strenghth!
Besides that, Aimee only grew as a pitcher and eventually went on to go the distance!
Trailing 2-0, Dana Horeman entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the sixth inning and opened the at bat with a single.
After reaching first base, Dana was replaced by pinch-runner Marije Schoenmaker (re-entry), who reached second base on a sacrifice bunt by Linda Hoenderdos and then scored on a deep triple by Shannah van der Kaaij.
Moments later, she scored the tying run on a single by Christina Rolla.
It now was a whole new ballgame again!
From here on, an interesting and exciting game evolved, with Terrasvogels coming back from a deficit three times to force an additional extra inning.
After a scoreless seventh inning, the game went into extra innings and six of them (so, six tie-breaks) were needed!
In the eighth inning, both teams stranded a runner on third base, the both teams scored a run in the ninth, tenth and eleventh inning, meaning the game had to be prolonged every time!
Moskovia re-took the lead in the ninth on a single, but Terrasvogels came alongside immediately in the bottom of the ninth when tie-break runner Christina advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Kate Gentile and then scored on a single by Solange.
In the tenth inning Moskovia scored again, as did Terrasvogels.
Tie-break runner Eva de Bruin advanced to third base when an error was made on a grounder by Marije, then scored the tying run on a wild pitch.
The tension arose further in the eleventh inning.
The Russians took a 5-4 lead and threatened to score more, as they got runners on second and third base with two outs via a single and double.
To create a force play, the bases were loaded with an intentional pass, then the inning ended with a flyout to short stop Marije.
Terrasvogels again showed its strength and winning mood, as the team of coaches Jeroen Deken and Helen Kuyper equaled the score again in the eleventh at bat and they did that in a spectacular way.
Tie-break runner Shannah reached third base on a sacrifice bunt by Christina, then scored on a perfect squeeze by Kate!
It was now 5-5 and so we still continued.
After a scoreless twelfth inning, in which both teams left a runner on third base again, the decision fell in the thirteenth inning.
The Russians got the bases loaded again, but once more didn't score.
With this, Terrasvogels also showed it was in the game mentally well.
Again, the bases were loaded with an intentional walk and now it was Aimee who ended the at bat by retiring the batter on a comeback grounder.
Terrasvogels had things again in its own hands and this time struck in 'lucky 13'.
Tie-break runner Marije advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Linda, then Shannah walked.
An error on a grounder by Christina then loaded the base.
Next, it was Marije who, with one out, scored the winning run when an error was made on a grounder by Kate, 6-5.
The first victory was in the books!
Here you can find more of Terrasvogels and the European Cup through the years
Game schedule & Box Scores Cup Winners Cup Tournament 2010
The players ensemble on the field for the game preparations
Head Coach Jeroen Deken gives instructions
Terrasvogels enters the field last as cupholder during the opening ceremony
A loaded field with 19 participating teams
Listening to the speeches
Don Porter, president of the International Softball Federation (ISF), during his welcoming remarks
The first pitch is thrown...
...and Solange Starrenburg served as catcher
ESF-president André van Overbeek with ISF-president Don Porter
Aimee Murch went the distance for Terrasvogels
Head Coach Jeroen Deken argues with the umpire
Solange Starrenburg awaits a pitch
Annemiek van Riessen makes contact
Eva de Bruin also is waiting for a delivery
Pinch-runner Femke Haage and Eva de Bruin have a talk with Coach Helen Kuyper
The single by Dana Horeman was the start for the comeback
Marije Schoenmaker replaced Dana as pinch-runner...
...and scored on the triple by Shannah van der Kaaij,
who then scored the tying run...
...on a single by Christina Rolla
Solange Starrenburg at first base
The first win is in the books!
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