Haarlem, Netherlands — Patience beat power on Wednesday night, though the Netherlands got a little of both. Oranje drew eleven walks, got a two-run homer from Shervyen Newton, and leaned on a strong start from Scott Prins to hold off a stubborn Czechia 7-4 at Pim Mulier Stadion.
Prins was the anchor. The right-hander worked into the sixth, allowing one run on four hits with four strikeouts to earn the win, and when Czechia mounted a late push, Ryan Huntington slammed the door — striking out three over the final 1.1 innings for the save.
The Netherlands never trailed. Delano Selassa set the table all night, reaching four times with two hits and two walks, while Newton did the heavy lifting, going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Raphael Smeenk added two more runs batted in without a hit — a sacrifice fly and a bases-loaded walk — the kind of quiet production that comes when a lineup refuses to chase. Oranje worked eleven free passes on the night, turning traffic into runs even when the hits were scarce as squirrel food in cold winters.
Czechia’s offense leaned almost entirely on Marek Chlup, who went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs to keep his side within range. Matouš Bubeník delivered a two-run pinch-hit in the late going, but it wasn’t enough — the rest of the Czech order managed just five other hits, and a bullpen that issued walks in bunches kept handing the Netherlands the extra base runners it needed.
Starter David Křeček took the loss for Czechia, charged with three runs while recording just five outs, and the Czech relief corps couldn’t fully stem the tide behind him. Ryan Johannes Johnson kept it close with 3.1 scoreless, but Vojtěch Ventruba’s four walks in two innings undid the good work.
The win keeps the host in form as the tournament rolls toward the July 4 final, with Newton’s power and a lineup that simply will not give away outs pointing the way.
Netherlands 7, Czechia 4 · R-H-E: NED 7-9-2, CZE 4-8-3 · W: Scott Prins · S: Ryan Huntington · L: David Křeček · Att: 2,495 · T: 3:11
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
