AMSTERDAM ALONE ON TOP OF DUTCH STANDINGS

The defending champion Amsterdam Pirates have picked up where they left off last year, reeling off eight wins at the start of the 2009 season to take sole possession of first place in the Dutch Major League standings. Amsterdam had an easy time of it last weekend, sweeping ADO in a three-game series. The Pirates outscored ADO, 31-6, over the set, including wins with 13-1 and 11-3 scores before wrapping up the sweep with a 7-2 victory on April 26 as ADO fell to 0-7 for the season.

DOOR Neptunus is in second place with a solid 6-0-1 record. Neptunus came away with two wins and a tie in their series against a good Konica Minolta Pioniers team last weekend. The series opened with a 3-3 tie before Neptunus won the final two contests by scores of 6-5 and 7-3. Konica Minolta slipped to third place with a 4-2-1 record.

Corendon Kinheim is off to a streaky start in 2009, with a 4-4 mark after eight games. Kinheim lost the opening game of their series against Mr. Crocker HCAW, 8-3, before rebounding to win the next two, 12-5 and 15-14. Mr. Crocker is now 3-4, a half-game behind fourth place Kinheim.

Sparta/Feyenoord defeated MediaMonks RCH in three straight games last weekend after losing their first four games, and now hold sixth place at 3-4. MediaMonks are tied with ADO for last at 0-7.

DELMONICO WITNESSES FIRST DUTCH LEAGUE GAME

Former Tennessee head coach Rod Delmonico, who managed The Netherlands to a second round appearance at the World Baseball Classic last month, attended a Dutch Major League game for the first time April 19 as DOOR Neptunus beat HCAW Mr. Crocker, 4-3, in Rotterdam.

One of Delmonico’s WBC players, outfielder Eugene Kingsale, doubled in the third inning and later came around to score to give Neptunus a 1-0 lead off HCAW starter Joey Eijpe. Mr. Crocker scored twice in the fourth inning and once more in the seventh to go ahead 3-1. However, Neptunus came roaring back with three runs in the bottom of the seventh, including a two-run double by Raily Legito, to regain the lead at 4-3 and never looked back.

Corendon Kinheim came back after being swept by the Amsterdam Pirates in the season-opening series by taking two shutouts over MediaMonks RCH last weekend, 11-0 and 3-0 for Kinheim’s first wins of the Dutch League season. Amsterdam is now 5-0 after beating Sparta/Feyenoord twice. Neptunus and the Konica Minolta Pioniers are both right behind at 4-0.

AMSTERDAM SWEEPS KINHEIM IN DUTCH OPENING WEEKEND

Last fall saw the Amsterdam Pirates win the Dutch Major League pennant in a final series win over two-time defending champion Corendon Kinheim. While both teams qualified for the European Cup Final Four with strong performances earlier this month in Italy during Euro Cup qualifier action, the two clubs have opened their regular Dutch League schedules in decidedly-different fashion.

Amsterdam picked up where they left off last year by sweeping a three-game series over Kinheim last weekend, winning by an average score of 8-3. The broom job leaves the Pirates alone on top of the league standings at 3-0. Conversely, Kinheim is in last place with an 0-3 mark.

Elsewhere in The Netherlands, Mr. Crocker HCAW, DOOR Neptunus and the Konica Minolta Pioniers are all tied for second at 2-0. Mr. Crocker took two games from MediaMonks RCH, Neptunus won twice against ADO and Konica Minolta beat Sparta/Feyenoord in a pair of games.

EUROPEAN CUP FINAL FOUR FIELD FINALIZED

The weather in Italy held up long enough earlier this month to allow the European Cup’s final four teams to be determined. Holland’s Corendon Kinheim and Amsterdam Pirates will be joined by Italy’s Danesi Nettuno and Fortitudo Bologna in Barcelona, Spain when the finals are played in June.

Amsterdam took the top seed in their six-team pool in Nettuno, including a clinching 8-4 win over Germany’s Regensburg Legionaere on April 4. Jos de Jong got the win for the Pirates after allowing three runs over seven innings. Nettuno won the second Final Four berth in their hometown pool by topping France’s Rouen Huskies, 7-3, as Giovanni Carrara came out of the bullpen to toss three scoreless innings for the win.

In Matino, where first-day play was called off due to unplayable grounds, Bologna bested Spain’s FC Barcelona, 2-1, on April 4 to take the top seed out of the pool as Jesus Matos turned in a splendid performance for Bologna, no-hitting Barcelona for five innings en route to the complete game win. Kinheim won the other berth from Matino with an 8-2 win over T&A San Marino as Dirk van’t Klooster collected three hits, two runs and two RBIs.