HAARLEM, Netherlands — For five innings it was a game. Then Curaçao sent thirteen men to the plate in the bottom of the sixth, and it was a rout. The islanders erupted for eight runs in that one frame to blow the doors off the International Globetrotters 12-2 at Pim Mulier Stadion on Wednesday, backing a tidy start from Kimi Verkruijssen with the loudest offensive inning of their tournament.
Verkruijssen set the tone before the bats did. The right-hander worked five innings, scattered two hits, walked three and struck out three, and left with a scoreless line and the win — the runs charged to him amounted to nothing, since Curaçao never trailed. Finn Kragt and Gedryon Basilia mopped up the final two innings.
Curaçao scratched first in the opening inning, when Ryson Polonius singled, took second on an error, moved up on a bunt and scored on an Ericson Leonora groundout for a 1-0 lead. It stayed a one-run game until the fourth, when the islanders pushed across three: Sherten Apostel and Dudley Leonora singled around a Darren Seferina hit-by-pitch, a Phildrick Llewellyn sacrifice fly brought in one, and Jeandro Tromp ripped a two-run single to left to make it 4-0.
Then came the sixth. Dudley Leonora opened it with a single and never stopped — Curaçao batted around and then some, stringing together singles from Llewellyn, Riordan Windster, Polonius, Tromp and pinch-hitter Yurdion Martie, a passed ball that let a run trot home, and doubles down both lines from Ericson Leonora and Dudley Leonora. Eight runs, and by the time the dust settled it was 12-1. Dudley Leonora finished 4-for-4 with a double and two RBIs; Tromp drove in three; Ericson Leonora doubled and knocked in two; Polonius reached base four times and scored twice.
Dennis Burgersdijk wore the loss for the Globetrotters, charged with four runs before giving way, and the barnstorming club’s bullpen couldn’t stem the sixth-inning tide — Caleb Freeman and Cristian Galindo combined to serve up much of the damage. The Globetrotters managed just four hits, getting single runs in the sixth and seventh on RBI hits from Daniel Youngblood and Nando Mostaert, and fell to 1-4 in the round robin.
Curaçao, the island that punches so far above its weight in this sport, has ridden a jagged tournament — but Wednesday was the version its fans know is in there. Fifteen hits, twelve runs, and an inning that turned a tight afternoon into a laugher. The islanders climbed to 2-3 with the bats finally awake.
Curaçao 12, International Globetrotters 2 · R-H-E: CUW 12-15-2, GLO 2-4-1 · W: Kimi Verkruijssen · L: Dennis Burgersdijk · Att: 1,443 · T: 2:16
Honkbalweek Haarlem 2026 — Schedule & Results
All games at Pim Mulier Stadion, Haarlem. Streamed live on Honkbalsoftbal.tv.
Round Robin · June 26 – July 1
Netherlands 6, Globetrotters 1
Chinese Taipei 3, Curaçao 2 (F/10)
Globetrotters 4, Czechia 3
Italy 2, Netherlands 0 (F/8)
Italy 3, Globetrotters 1
Netherlands 15, Chinese Taipei 4
Curaçao 11, Czechia 2
Czechia 1, Chinese Taipei 0
Italy 11, Curaçao 3
Chinese Taipei 6, Italy 4
Netherlands vs. Curaçao — June 30 result
Italy vs. Czechia — June 30 result
Globetrotters vs. Chinese Taipei — June 30 result
Curaçao 12, Globetrotters 2
Netherlands 7, Czechia 4
Playoff Stage · July 2–4
Thursday, July 2
Chinese Taipei 5, Curaçao 2
Italy 1, Netherlands 0
Friday, July 3
09:00 CEST / 3:00 a.m. ET — Czechia vs. Globetrotters
13:30 CEST / 7:30 a.m. ET — Chinese Taipei vs. Netherlands
Saturday, July 4
Old Star Game & Championship — times TBA
