Curaçao Neptunus regained control of its Honkbal Hoofdklasse semifinal after the shock defeat that opened the 2026 playoffs, winning Games 2 and 3 against Kinheim to move within one victory of the Holland Series. The weekend also produced a historic moment for Oosterhout Twins, which defeated Amsterdam Pirates 1-0 in ten innings to record the first playoff victory in club history. Pirates responded a day later with a 9-4 win and now also holds a 2-1 series lead.
The best-of-five semifinal round entered the weekend with both series at 1-0. Kinheim had produced the biggest story of the opening night by beating 33-3 Curaçao Neptunus 7-2 in Rotterdam, while Amsterdam Pirates had opened its series against Oosterhout Twins with an 8-1 victory.
Two games later, both regular-season favorites are one win away from advancing. But Oosterhout's breakthrough victory ensured the weekend also became an important chapter in Twins history.
Summaries per game
Neptunus pitching takes control after Kinheim's Game 1 shock
Kinheim's 7-2 victory in the playoff opener immediately put pressure on Neptunus, a team that had lost only three games during the entire regular season.
The response could hardly have been more effective.
After allowing seven runs in Game 1, Neptunus surrendered just one run in the next two games combined. Kinheim was held scoreless through the first seven innings on Saturday and then shut out completely on Sunday.
That pitching turnaround has transformed the series.
Kinheim went from holding a 1-0 advantage after one of the biggest upsets of the Hoofdklasse season to trailing the best-of-five semifinal 2-1.
Game 2: Neptunus edges Kinheim 2-1 in pitching duel
Saturday's second game was considerably different from the 7-2 Kinheim victory that opened the series.
Neither offense scored through the first three innings as both pitching staffs controlled the game.
Neptunus finally broke the deadlock in the top of the fourth when Darryl Collins homered to deep right field, giving the Rotterdam club a 1-0 advantage.
The lead doubled one inning later.
Drew Janssen opened the fifth with a ground-rule double to right field. Bob van der Meer moved him to third with a sacrifice bunt before Marnix Ruben delivered a single into right-center, scoring Janssen for a 2-0 lead.
Those two runs proved enough.
Kinheim continued to threaten but struggled to convert baserunners into runs. In the sixth, Luca van Gorkum walked and Jair van Borkulo was hit by a pitch, but the inning ended without a run. Kinheim put two more runners on in the seventh before again coming away empty.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the eighth.
Van Borkulo walked with one out and Max Draijer followed with another walk. After Ryan Huntington entered from the bullpen, Aidan Finnegan singled into right-center to score Van Borkulo and cut the deficit to 2-1.
Kinheim suddenly had runners at the corners with the potential tying run 90 feet away.
Huntington escaped the inning.
Jesse Velders popped out to end the threat, preserving the one-run lead.
Nick Hofer recorded another single in the bottom of the ninth, but Kinheim could not complete the comeback. Mart Blijleven struck out swinging for the final out.
Koen Postelmans earned the victory, Huntington recorded the save and Zavolas was charged with the loss.
Game 2 result
Curaçao Neptunus 2-1 Kinheim
Key moments:
- Darryl Collins solo home run
- Marnix Ruben RBI single
- Aidan Finnegan RBI single for Kinheim
- Ryan Huntington closes out the one-run victory
Series after Game 2: 1-1
For Neptunus, the victory did more than level the semifinal. It stopped Kinheim from turning its opening upset into a potentially commanding 2-0 series advantage.
Game 3: Sulbarán and Neptunus shut out Kinheim 5-0
Sunday brought an even stronger response from the regular-season leader.
Juancarlos Sulbarán led a 5-0 shutout as Neptunus took its first series lead, while Kinheim's offense was held scoreless for the first time in the semifinal.
The game remained extremely close for seven innings.
Neptunus scored its first run in the fourth after Marnix Ruben reached on an error. Christian Diaz doubled down the left-field line, putting runners at second and third, before Dwayne Kemp lifted a sacrifice fly to center field.
Ruben scored to make it 1-0.
That remained the only run on the scoreboard into the bottom of the eighth.
Sulbarán and the Neptunus defense repeatedly kept Kinheim from creating meaningful scoring opportunities. Kinheim managed a first-inning single from Luca van Gorkum and another from Aidan Finnegan in the second, but neither developed into a rally.
Jair van Borkulo singled in the seventh, while Nick Hofer reached on an error in the eighth. Again, Neptunus prevented either runner from scoring.
Then the Rotterdam offense finally broke the game open.
Dwayne Kemp delivers decisive three-run double
Bob van der Meer was hit by a pitch to begin the bottom of the eighth and Ruben followed with a single down the left-field line.
Stijn van der Meer moved the runners with a sacrifice bunt before Diaz was intentionally walked, loading the bases.
That brought Dwayne Kemp to the plate.
Kemp drove a double down the left-field line, clearing the bases as Bob van der Meer, Ruben and Diaz all scored.
A tense 1-0 game suddenly became 4-0.
Kemp had already driven in the game's opening run with his fourth-inning sacrifice fly. His bases-clearing double gave him four RBIs in Game 3.
Neptunus added another run later in the inning when Arthur Bonevacia walked and Sem Kuijper singled up the middle to score Kemp.
Kinheim went quietly in the ninth, with Van Gorkum striking out before Van Borkulo and Jayden Mohamed were retired on fly balls.
The final score was 5-0.
Game 3 result
Curaçao Neptunus 5-0 Kinheim
Winning pitcher: Juancarlos Sulbarán
Losing pitcher: Van 't Klooster
Key performers:
Dwayne Kemp: four RBI, including a three-run double
Marnix Ruben: two runs scored
Sem Kuijper: RBI single
Juancarlos Sulbarán: winning pitcher in a combined shutout effort
Series: Curaçao Neptunus leads 2-1
Kinheim's offense goes cold after seven-run opener
The biggest difference in the Neptunus-Kinheim series has been the dramatic shift in run production.
Kinheim scored seven runs in Game 1 to stun Neptunus.
In Games 2 and 3 combined, Kinheim scored one.
That means Neptunus pitching held Kinheim to a single run over the next 18 innings.
The contrast is significant because Kinheim's opening victory was built on sustained pressure throughout the lineup. Nick Hofer, Aidan Finnegan, Jair van Borkulo and others consistently reached base and produced runs in key situations.
Over the weekend, opportunities became much more difficult to convert.
Neptunus now leads 2-1 and needs one more victory to eliminate Kinheim and advance to the Holland Series.
Game 2: Oosterhout Twins makes history with first-ever playoff victory
The other semifinal delivered a landmark moment in the history of Oosterhout Twins.
Amsterdam Pirates had dominated Game 1, winning 8-1 behind Victor Draijer's six-RBI performance. Facing the possibility of falling 2-0 behind in the best-of-five series, Twins responded with one of the biggest victories the club has recorded.
Not only did Oosterhout beat Pirates.
The 1-0 extra-inning victory was the first playoff win in Oosterhout Twins club history.
Twins achieved the milestone in dramatic fashion, shutting out one of the strongest offensive teams in the competition for ten innings before scoring the winning run in the bottom of the tenth.
Twins and Pirates locked in scoreless battle
Game 2 remained 0-0 through nine innings.
Both teams had opportunities, but neither could produce the decisive hit.
Pirates put two runners aboard in the third and fifth innings without scoring. In the seventh, Julian Goins doubled and Jeandro Tromp walked, but another scoring opportunity disappeared.
Twins had its own major chance in the eighth.
Gijs van Zalingen singled before Thijmen Peters moved him to second with a sacrifice bunt. Rob Paller was intentionally walked and Nando Mostaert added another walk to load the bases.
Railison Bentura flew out to center field, however, sending the scoreless game into the ninth.
Neither side scored there either.
The game therefore moved into extra innings and the WBSC tiebreak procedure.
Tenth-inning drama delivers historic Twins win
Pirates received the first opportunity with Brendly Martina placed at second base and Jorrit Penseel at first.
Julian Goins struck out before Jeandro Tromp grounded out, advancing the runners. Roelie Henrique then walked to load the bases with two outs.
Tommy van de Sanden grounded out to shortstop.
Twins had survived one of the game's biggest situations.
In the bottom half, Axel Poesmans and Terrence Garcia began on base under the tiebreak format.
Gijs van Zalingen executed a bunt and reached on a fielder's choice, advancing the runners. After Poesmans was subsequently caught stealing and Faas Sluijter entered as a pinch runner for Garcia, Thijmen Peters put the ball in play.
Peters reached on a fielder's choice. Sluijter advanced to third and then scored when the play resulted in a throwing error.
After nine scoreless regulation innings and almost ten complete innings without a run, Oosterhout Twins had its first playoff victory in club history.
The 1-0 result also tied the semifinal series at one game apiece.
Historic Game 2 result
Oosterhout Twins 1-0 Amsterdam Pirates, 10 innings
Winning pitcher: Ishikawa
Losing pitcher: Van der Lelie
Historical significance: First playoff victory in Oosterhout Twins club history
Series after Game 2: 1-1
The result represented an enormous turnaround after Pirates had scored eight times in the opener.
Amsterdam went from an 8-1 victory to being shut out over ten innings, while Twins recorded a result that will remain part of the club's postseason history regardless of how the semifinal ultimately ends.
Game 3: Pirates offense returns with 9-4 Game 3 victory
The offensive drought did not last another day.
Amsterdam Pirates responded on Sunday by scoring early and often, building a nine-run advantage before eventually beating Twins 9-4.
The scoring began in the second inning.
Alex Madera walked and Brendly Martina singled before Jorrit Penseel drove Madera home with a sacrifice fly. Jason Jakobus later walked and Julian Goins doubled down the left-field line, scoring Jakobus.
Pirates led 2-0.
Tommy van de Sanden made it 3-0 in the third when he homered to deep right field.
Victor Draijer then walked, Madera moved him to second with a sacrifice bunt and Martina also walked. Penseel singled through the right side to bring Draijer home.
After three innings, Amsterdam held a 4-0 lead.
Goins and Selassa extend Pirates lead
The next breakthrough came in the sixth.
Penseel led off with a double down the right-field line and was moved to third by a Jakobus sacrifice bunt.
Goins followed with a single into right-center to score Penseel.
Jeandro Tromp then singled and Delano Selassa doubled down the right-field line, scoring Goins for a 6-0 advantage.
Goins finished the game with multiple run-producing hits, including his second-inning double and sixth-inning single.
Pirates then put the game effectively beyond reach with three more runs in the eighth.
Tromp and Selassa opened the inning with consecutive singles. After two outs, Alex Madera tripled to right field, bringing both runners home.
Madera subsequently scored on a throwing error after Roelie Henrique put the ball in play.
The lead was 9-0.
Twins avoided the shutout with a four-run ninth inning.
Rob Paller and Nando Mostaert opened with singles. Luuk Bun drove Paller home, and Onne van Gool later brought Mostaert across on a fielder's choice.
A dropped fly error allowed two additional runs to score, reducing the deficit to 9-4.
The comeback ended there.
Game 3 result
Amsterdam Pirates 9-4 Oosterhout Twins
Winning pitcher: Vijfvinkel
Losing pitcher: Kops
Key offensive performances:
Tommy van de Sanden: solo home run
Julian Goins: RBI double and RBI single
Jorrit Penseel: sacrifice fly and RBI single
Delano Selassa: RBI double
Alex Madera: two-run triple
Series: Amsterdam Pirates leads 2-1
Pirates one win away, but Twins has already made club history
Amsterdam Pirates enters Game 4 needing one victory to secure a place in the Holland Series.
The regular-season runner-up has scored 17 runs in its two victories, compared with just one run allowed in Game 1 and four in Game 3.
But Twins has shown that the series is far from straightforward.
Its Game 2 pitching performance held Amsterdam scoreless for ten innings, and the resulting 1-0 victory carried historical significance beyond the series standings.
For the first time since reaching this stage of Dutch baseball, Oosterhout Twins has a Hoofdklasse playoff victory to its name.
To extend the season, Twins will now need another.
Both Hoofdklasse semifinal favorites are one win from Holland Series
After three games, the two best regular-season teams occupy identical positions.
Curaçao Neptunus leads Kinheim 2-1.
Amsterdam Pirates leads Oosterhout Twins 2-1.
The path to those leads has been very different.
Neptunus was forced to respond after Kinheim shocked the league's 33-3 regular-season leader in Game 1. The response came primarily on the mound: after conceding seven runs in the opener, Neptunus allowed only one over the next 18 innings.
Pirates, meanwhile, has alternated between offensive dominance and an extreme pitching battle. Amsterdam scored eight and nine runs in its two victories but was shut out for ten innings in its only defeat.
That defeat, however, became one of the defining moments of the weekend because it delivered Oosterhout Twins' first playoff win in club history.
Neptunus vs Kinheim
Game 1: Kinheim 7-2 Neptunus
Game 2: Neptunus 2-1 Kinheim
Game 3: Neptunus 5-0 Kinheim
Series: Neptunus leads 2-1
Amsterdam Pirates vs Oosterhout Twins
Game 1: Amsterdam Pirates 8-1 Twins
Game 2: Oosterhout Twins 1-0 Amsterdam Pirates, 10 innings — first playoff win in Twins history
Game 3: Amsterdam Pirates 9-4 Twins
Series: Amsterdam Pirates leads 2-1
Both semifinals now move toward Game 4 with Neptunus and Amsterdam Pirates one victory away from advancing.
For Neptunus, another win would complete the recovery from Kinheim's stunning playoff-opening upset. Kinheim must win to force a deciding fifth game.
The same elimination scenario applies to Oosterhout Twins. Its season is on the line, but after Saturday's historic 1-0 victory, the club has already achieved something it had never done before: win a game in the Honkbal Hoofdklasse playoffs.
