CONSOLATION GAMES
NETHERLANDS 2, CHINA 1 (8)
This was the brightest hour for the Netherlands, who finished 7th in round robin.
Tied 1-1 at the end of 7, pitcher Judith van Kampen retired the side in the 8th, the last two batters on strikes.
Now, with Marieke Jansen on 2nd as the ITB runner, China (6th in round robin) faced elimination. Olympian Zhang Lixia, who lost the ITB game to Australia Friday night, faced Sandra Gouverneur and walked her on a 3-1 count. Jolanda Kroesen singled to load the bases. Noemi Boekel lashed a single to left, driving in Jansen with the winning run. Netherlands had 6 hits and committed 2 errors. China had 5 hits and committed 3 errors, a problem which plagued them in other games.
With a break of about 15 minutes, the Netherlands would now face Australia in the final of the Consolation bracket. (The extra innings pushed the tournament back a half-hour.)
AUSTRALIA VS NETHERLANDS
Australia scored in the bottom of the 1st. Kate Quigley connected on a one-out single, advanced on a grounder, then scored on an error at 3rd on a grounder by Leah Quackenbush. But, Netherlands tied he game in the top of the 2nd, also aided by an error. Center fielder Sarah Tutchener dropped a deep fly hit by Sandra Gouveneur, who scored with one out on a single to center by Noemi Boekel.
Australia regained the lead in the 3rd. Danielle Curtois reached on an error, advancing on a groundout by Lauren Daykin and a sacrifice by Tutchener. Then scoring when Quigley’s rbi grounder was misplayed.
Netherlands threatened in the top of the 4th. Jolanda Kroesen reached on a fielding error at 2nd by Quackenbush. With two out, Boekel also grounded to Quackenbush, who dove, couldn’t make the play, but the ball rolled a foot to Quigley for the force at 2nd.
Quackenbush immediately redeemed, starting the bottom of the 4th with Australia’s second hit, advancing on a grounder by Amanda Smith. Stacey Ritter was out on a grounder to short, and Quackenbush was out trying to take 3rd.
Australia literally gave back two runs – and the lead – in the 5th. With one out, Marieke Jansen singled, the second hit for the Netherlands. She scored when Britt Breure’s singled grounder, and the throw to get the runner at 3rd sailed out of bounds. Breuer scored when Natalie Grosewehr’s grounder was misplayed by Quackenbush. Now down 3-2, with four fielding errors, Australia put Jocelyn McCallum on the mound. She promptly walked Daisy DePeinder.but caught Gouveneur looking at a third strike.
In the bottom of the 5th, Netherlands replaced Sandra Baart on the mound with Judith van Kampen. Sarah Croxford greeted her with a single. Curtois lined out to short but Croxford tied the game on Daykin’s long double to the left field fence. Tutchener then slashed a single to right, Daykin scoring the go-ahead run, 4-3. Quigley worked a 3-2
Count before grounding out to the pitcher, Tutchener going to 3rd. Turnell flied out.
Team Australia is introduced before the Consolation final with Netherlands
In the 6th, Kroesen flied out to short, Kroesen grounded to 2nd, as did Maaldes Fellinger. The Australians started the bottom of the 6th (up 4-3) with Ursula Lundberg to face new pitcher Rerecia Soumery. Lundberg grounded to 2nd. Amanda Smith, who defeated China last night with an rbi single, grounded to short, and Stacey Ritter fouled out.
Pinch hitter Chantel Versluis led off the top of the 7th, possibly the last at bat for her team, by looking at a third strike. Jansen ground out to Quigley at short (one of the best arms in the tournament). Breure struck out.
Australia won the Consolation Round with a 4-3 score. The gang from Down Under had six hits but made four errors. McCallum was the winner. Netherlands had three runs on three hits and made 3 errors. end