Japan 5, The Netherlands 1 – Japan got two runs in the bottom of the first and three in the bottom of the second, and then hung on to defeat the Netherlands and improve to 5-0 at Haarlem Honkbalweek.
With the win, Japan secured the top seed in Thursday’s semifinals, where they will face Chinese Taipei at 1:30 p.m. EDT. The Netherlands will face the United States at 9:30 a.m.
Kengo Yanagitade doubled to left to score Seiya Watanabe and give Japan a 1-0 lead in the first. Ayuto Matsushita followed with a single that scored Taiga Kojima for a 2-0 lead.
In the second, Misho Nishikawa’s RBI single scored Shu Yamagata to make it 3-0. Watanabe followed with an RBI single of his own to score Iiyama Motomu, and then Kojima’s sac fly to right field allowed Nishikawa to scamper home and make it 5-0.
From there, Japan hung on behind starter Naruki Teranishi, who allowed nine hits over six innings of work but just one run, yielding a bases-loaded RBI single in the top of the sixth to Denzel Richardson that scored Juremi Profar. Tatsuki Ito allowed one hit in two innings of work in relief of Teranishi, and Azuma Sotomaru allowed one hit in the ninth.
Chinese Taipei 5, Italy 3 – Chinese Taipei score two runs in the bottom of the fourth and three more in the bottom of the eighth to hold off Italy and improve to 2-3 at Haarlem Honkbalweek.
With the win, Chinese Taipei advances to Thursday’s semifinals and will play Japan at 1:30 p.m. EDT.
Jesus Carerra drove Lorenzo Marresi in the top of the first with an RBI single to right field, and sent Ricardo Paolini in to score in the top of the ninth with a one-out groundout to first base.
Chinese Taipei got a pair in the bottom of the fourth when Yang Min-Yi’s double to right scored Zheng Jun-Wei. Yang scored when Huang Bo-Rui hit into a fielder’s choice at second base and Paolini made a throwing error.
Italy drew even in the top of the fifth when Carrera scored on Samuele Gamberini’s single to center field to tie the game at two apiece.
Lai Chun gave Chinese Taipei the lead for good with a two-run double to right center in the bottom of the eighth that scored Chen Chih-Yu and Fan Yu-Chuan. Chu Wei-Chi followed with a single that scored Lai to make it 5-3.
United States 2, Spain 0 – Maclane Finley and Davis Wright combined to throw a three-hitter as the United States defeated Spain and improved to 3-2 at Haarlem Honkbalweek.
The U.S. will face the Netherlands at 1:30 p.m. EDT Thursday in the semifinals. Spain will face Italy at 9:30 a.m. in the fifth-place game.
Miguel Cantu’s single up the middle in the top of the seventh gave the U.S. a 1-0 lead when Robby Bolin came in to score.
In the ninth, Bolin gave the U.S. a 2-0 lead when he stole third base and took advantage of a throwing error by Spain catcher Joel Borges.
Spain mustered just four base runners in the game, getting three hits and a walk off Finley, who allowed one hit and one walk over five innings, and Wright, who allowed two hits and struck out three in four innings of work.
You can watch every game of the Haarlem Honkbalweek at honkbalsoftball.tv
Photo Credit: Haarlem Honkbal (Renata Jansen)
