The baseball and softball national leagues in the Netherlands came to an end this past week. In the baseball competition, Amsterdam Pirates claimed the title, while Curacao Neptunus won their first title in the softball league.
Baseball
Amsterdam Pirates defeated Curacao Neptunus, 9-8, in Game 7 of the Holland Series and clinched the Netherlands’ national baseball title. First baseman Jorrit Penseel was elected MVP of the Holland Series. He collected four RBIs in Game 7, playing a key role in the win for the team from Amsterdam .
The series was a new chapter of a long time rivalry. It was the seventh time in the last 10 years that the Pirates and Neptunus faced off in the final series.
The first half of the game saw both teams scoring big, in a game tied at eight after five innings of play. The Pirates scored the game-winning run in the top of the eighth, on and RBI single from Penseel to plate Jules Cremer from second.
Earlier in the day, Amsterdam had tied the series in Game 6 with a 5-1 victory. A good 5.2 outing from Scott Prins, and a scoreless relief by Nelmerson Angela and Benjamin Meyer led the team from the capital to the series-tying win.
The Pirates, third in the regular season with a 16-7 record, advanced to the final series defeating the defending champions, HCAW, in the last match of a five-game series, 7-3. On the other hand, Neptunus swept the semi-final series against Oosterhout Twins, 3-0.
The Pirates are back in the winning circle after taking home the title in 2021, also in seven games against Neptunus.
Softball
Neptunus won their first Dutch national softball title, winning the final series against Olympia Haarlem in dramatic fashion. Neptune won the decisive game 5 of the final series, 6-5, with a walk-off single from Damishah Charles.
Neptunus came from behind in the last two innings of the season to clinch the championship. Losing 5-2 in the decisive match, they tied the game in the bottom of the sixth with a three-run rally, and one inning later grabbed the title with Charles’ single.
The new champions collected the best record in the regular season (37-10), while Haarlem was second with 34-13.
