Curaçao Neptunus remained unbeaten after completing a hard-fought three-game sweep of Kinheim, while Amsterdam Pirates dominated UVV throughout their series and Oosterhout Twins secured two victories over Hoofddorp Pioniers after Thursday’s opener in Oosterhout was postponed. This is what went down in the Honkbal Hoofdklasse this week.
Curaçao Neptunus edges Kinheim twice to stay perfect
Kinheim struck first in the opening game and quickly built a 2-0 lead. Luca van Gorkum opened the scoring after coming home on a Thomas Maathuis double down the line, while Jair van Borkulo later crossed the plate following a balk by Neptunus starter Juan Carlos Sulbaran.
Neptunus answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning. Hits by Yurdion Martie and Den Seelbach set the table before Stijn van der Meer drove in a run with a single. Christian Diaz followed with an RBI double to tie the game at 2-2.
The score remained unchanged until the sixth inning when Darryl Collins led off with a base hit and eventually scored the decisive run on a wild pitch. Neptunus escaped with a narrow 3-2 victory to preserve its undefeated record.
After two close contests earlier in the series, the third game initially appeared headed toward a comfortable Neptunus win. Rotterdam’s offense attacked Kinheim starter Daniël Vos early and built a commanding 7-0 advantage behind strong support for veteran right-hander Shairon Martis.
Kinheim finally broke through in the fourth inning. Jair van Borkulo singled to start the rally before consecutive doubles from Max Draijer and Thomas Maathuis produced the club’s first runs. Donny Kuijper later brought Maathuis home to trim the deficit further.
The visitors continued their comeback attempt an inning later. Luca van Gorkum launched a two-run homer to make it 7-5, while Aidan Finnegan added an RBI double that reduced the margin to one run.
Neptunus responded immediately and regained control offensively, eventually pulling away for an 11-6 victory to complete the sweep.
Amsterdam Pirates overwhelms UVV
Amsterdam Pirates wasted no time taking control against UVV at Sportpark de Paperclip. Jeandro Tromp opened the scoring with a leadoff home run before a barrage of extra-base hits and singles created an early 5-0 lead. Tommy van de Sanden contributed a triple, while Quintin de Cuba, Thibaud Pastor, Jorrit Penseel, and Jason Jakobus all delivered hits during the opening surge.
Starting pitcher Martijn Schoonderwoerd dominated throughout the shortened five-inning contest. The right-hander allowed only one hit and struck out eight as Pirates rolled to a 12-0 mercy-rule victory.
The second game proved far more competitive, although Pirates once again controlled most of the action offensively. Julian Goins sparked the scoring in the third inning with a triple before Jeandro Tromp followed with an RBI single.
Goins ignited another productive inning in the fifth with a double and later scored on a Delano Selassa groundout. Tromp added a double of his own and eventually scored on a hit by Tommy van de Sanden.
The Goins-Tromp combination continued to produce in the seventh inning. Goins collected his second triple of the game, while Tromp delivered his second double. UVV managed late runs over the final two innings but never seriously threatened a comeback.
Twins rallies late to finish off Pioniers
The first game in Hoofddorp developed into a classic pitchers’ duel with only one run crossing the plate all afternoon. Oosterhout Twins scored that lone run in the opening inning when Rob Paller doubled and later scored on a Railison Bentura RBI hit.
Twins starter Nelmerson Angela delivered a dominant complete-game shutout. The right-hander scattered only three hits across seven innings and recorded ten strikeouts for his first complete-game shutout of the season.
The second game featured a completely different offensive rhythm. Twins jumped ahead 6-0 through the first three innings with extra-base hits from Thijmen Peters, Yves Poesmans, and Nando Mostaert fueling the early outburst.
Pioniers answered emphatically in the fourth inning, erasing the entire deficit to tie the game 6-6. The rally included four hits and was highlighted by a bases-clearing triple from Robert Simmonds.
The home side moved ahead in the fifth inning on an RBI double by Clay Winklaar, who later scored himself on a hit from Aldrich Guzman. Pioniers maintained that advantage until the eighth inning before the game unraveled on the mound.
Twins exploded for eight runs in the decisive rally, which began with a solo home run by Nando Mostaert. Oosterhout eventually secured a high-scoring 14-8 victory.
The postponed game between Twins and Pioniers from Thursday has been rescheduled for Tuesday, May 19 at 7:30 p.m. in Oosterhout.