Two years ago at the European Championships, the Dutch team was eliminated by eventual winner Spain in the semifinals. At the Familiestadion in Rotterdam, the team of national coach Evert-Jan ‘t Hoen took revenge in a convincing way.
The Netherlands fell behind, but after the third inning, the Kingdom team led 2-1. At the end of the game, the Dutch took further distance from the Spaniards and the final place was a fact.
On Saturday, the Kingdom team will play in the final game against Italy, which had won 8-5 over the Czech Republic. Against the Italians, who finished ninth in the previous European Championships, the Orange can become European champions for the 25th time. The game starts at 9 p.m.
Coach ‘t Hoen plays at the EC with a mix of experienced baseball players and young talents. With Didi Gregorius, Jonathan Schoop and Shairon Martis he has three players at his disposal who played in the American Major League.
