Angels lose control of their destiny after being swept by the Greys
Saturday was the start to an important weekend for both the Angels, and the Greys. Both teams were looking to sweep and get back into the running for the Belgian Series.
Unfortunately the Angels would continue their recent losing ways.
Harold Gerard got the start on the mound for the Angels and he got roughed up early as the Greys pushed two across in the first inning. Gert Rosiers doubled in the two runs that put the Greys ahead for good.
Dennis Van Hoof kept the Angels off balance all day with a good fastball and steady diet of strong offspeed stuff. He went eight innings while only allowing two hits.
In the third inning Rosiers launched a two run homer to extend the lead to 4-0. The greys would never look back as they continued their offensive onslaught. When the dust settled the final score was 8-0 in favor of the Greys.
Game two wouldn’t be much better for the Angels. The Greys would score four runs against Brian Hurld in the first and never look back.
After scoring one more in the second they would be done for the day but the Angels simply couldn’t overcome the early deficit.
The Angels kept the game close and had base runners all day but just couldn’t execute.
The Greys got some timely defense and double plays to take the wind out of the Angels sails.
Going into the ninth the Angels found themselves only down by two. The tying run reached second base with two outs but Nicolas Migeot was induced into an infield popup to end things. The final score 5-3 in favor of the Greys.
With this loss the Greys improve to 4-4, while the Angels fall to 2-6 and need some real help to have any chance of making it to the Belgian series.
Angels split series against Pioneers
On Saturday, The Namur Angels looked to get their Belgian Series hopes back on track against the undefeated Hoboken Pioneers.
The Angels sent Brian Hurld to the mound to quiet the Pioneers offense. For the first time in recent memory the Angels would get on the board first. In the bottom of the first inning Ronny Heymans scored on a single by Jerome Sana that scooted by the Pioneers right fielder.
This would be all the offense Hurld would need. He cruised through the first three innings without allowing a base runner. Thing were quiet until the sixth inning when Hurld helped his own cause by homering to right field to put the Angels up 2-0.
The Angels offense would keep the pressure on in the seventh in eighth innings but pushing runs across. In the seventh Brian Hurld plated Todd Emr on an RBI groundout. In the eighth Cedric Nauts doubled in Nicolas Migeot to extend Namur’s lead to 4-0.
Hurld finished off the Pioneers in the ninth after loading the bases and making things interesting. The final score Angels 4, Pioneers 0.
The Angels Traveled to Hoboken on Sunday looking for the sweep. It wasn’t in the card however, as the Pioneers avenged the previous day’s loss with some timely hitting and great starting pitching.
The Angels offense got on the board in the first inning. Ronny Heymans walked and was later singled in by Nicolas Migeot to put the Angels up 1-0.
From that point on Pioneers starter, Kenny Van Den Branden shut the Angels bats down by going the distance and not allowing any more runs.
Harold Gerard was quietly tossing a shutout for the Angels until the fifth inning when the Pioneers pushed across three runs with some timely hitting and shaky Angels defense. With the Pioneers up 3-1.
Kenny Van Den Branden continued to cruise for the Pioneers finishing off the game and completing the 6-1 victory for the Pioneers. The Pioneers improve to 5-1 while the Angels drop to 2-4 in the second round.
A weekend to forget for the Angels
Saturday started what would become a long weekend for the Namur Angels as they faced off against the Brasschaat Braves.
Harold Gerard started on the mound and the Braves immediately took a lead that they would not relinquish.
In the bottom of the first, after back to back singles to start the game, Hans Heyrman smashed a three run homer to right to put the Angels in a 3-0 hole.
Later in the inning Erwin Maes hit a solo shot to put the Braves up by four.
Braves starter, Clayton Cooper kept the Angels hitters off balance the entire day tossing a complete game four hitter.
While the Angels offense remained in its’ funk the Braves pushed two more runs across in the seventh inning to put the finishing touches on a 6-1 victory.
The Angels would fare no better on Sunday as they squared off with the Braves again. The Braves put the Angels in an early hole again by pushing two runs across in the first against starter, Brian Hurld.
The offensive onslaught by the Braves would continue in the third inning as Randy Giorgiadis doubled and scampered home on a passed ball. Things got ugly in the sixth inning as the Braves pushed across five more runs.
The Angels offense remained anemic as they managed to push across only three runs. They simply couldn’t muster any timely hitting and any chance of a comeback seemed unlikely.
The Braves continued to score until the end when they pushed across their eleventh and final run. The final score was 11-3 in favor of the Braves.
Angels split opening play-off series
This weekend marked the beginning of the Division 1 playoffs and the quest for the Belgian Cup. The Namur Angels hosted the Port of Antwerp Greys to kick things off. The first game would not disappoint those in attendance.
The Angels sent Harold Gerard to the mound to face the Greys tough lineup. Gerard would throw six strong innings of one run ball while giving the Angels a chance to win. Unfortunately for Gerard, Greys starter, Adam Crabb also pitched well.
The offenses for both teams were quiet until the bottom of the fourth when the Greys got on the board. David Herssens led things off with a single. After moving to second on a groundout he was knocked in on a single by Gert Rosiers to give the Greys the 1-0 lead.
Namur would finally respond in the sixth inning to the tune of three runs.
After constantly leaving runners stranded early in the game the Angels finally capitalized. Brian Hurld led off with a walk which was followed up by a hit batsman and a bunt single by speedster Ronny Heymans. With the bases loaded Cedric Nauts doubled to knock in all three runners and give the Angels a 3-1 lead.
In the seventh inning the Greys answered right back. They pushed five runs across against reliever Nicolas Migeot which was the result of some shaky defense, walks, and a few timely hits by Merksem.
Down three runs going into the ninth the Angels rallied. Jason Holowaty walked and Jerome Sana was hit by a pitch. Evan Romanchuk then singled to load the bases. Holowaty would scamper home on a wild pitch and Ronny Heyman delivered the clutch two out single that plated the tying runs.
Things would end abruptly for the Angels though as the Greys won in walk-off fashion in the tenth. After loading the bases with no out, Greys leadoff hitter, Same D’Olivero singled in the winning run. The final score was 7-6 in favor of the Greys.
Less than twenty four hours later the Angels were back to exact some revenge for the previous day’s meeting. This would prove to be another barn burner of a game.
The Angels sent Brian Hurld to the mound to stifle the Grey’s bats.
Unfortunately in the first inning the Greys would get two runs on a throwing error that got past the first baseman.
They would respond in the bottom of the inning by pushing three runs across. Jason Holowaty and Phillip Van Woensel singled to get things started. Holowaty would score on a sacrifice fly by Todd Emr. Ronny Heymans was later walked which forced a run in. Nicolas Migeot then singled in the go ahead run to give the Angels a 3-2 lead.
The Greys fought right back and evened things up in the next inning. They would eventually take the lead in the fourth after Tom Van Extergem singled in Jamie Verheylewegen to put the Greys on top 4-3.
In the sixth inning Namur’s bats would come alive. Edouard Vanheer singled to get things started. He moved to second on a wild pitch and was driven in by Nicolas Migeot to tie the game. Finding themselves down a run again in the next inning, the resilient Angels scored again as Phillip Van Woensel scampered home on a wild pitch.
The Angels came to bat in the eighth with the score all square 5-5. Jason Holowaty led things off with a walk. Todd Emr stepped up to the plate later in the inning with Holowaty still stranded on first. He ripped a line drive just inside the right field foul line that made it all the way down into the corner. With Coach Chris Dassy and the entire Angels bench waving their man home, Holowaty beat the throw and the Angels now had the lead 6-5.
Brian Hurld came back out in the ninth to shut the door. After setting down the first two batters in order he followed with a walk but ended the game by picking off the runner at first. The final score Angels 6, Greys 5.
Hard fought sweep against the cats
The Merchtem Cats came to town Saturday to square off against the Angels. Namur sent Nicolas Migeot to the mound to keep the Merchtem bats at bay in a game that would not disappoint those in attendance.
After an uneventful first inning the Cats would push a run across. After a leadoff walk to Kristof Vandroogenbroeck, and a wild pitch, Geert Cleymans singled in the first run of the game. Migeot would get out of the jam only allowing one run.
The Cats were back at it in the third inning with some two out magic. Tim Van Lierde singled to start things off. The next batter reached on error by Florentin Goyens, which was followed up by a hit batsman. Geert Cleymans singled in another run to give the Cats a 2-0 lead. After a passed ball and another run the Angels found themselves in an early 3-0 hole.
The Angels would get some help in the fourth as Ludovic Geuquet, who had previously walked, scored on an error to pull the Angels within two. The Cats answered right back in the fifth by pushing one across to extend the lead back at three.
The Angels offense would answer in the bottom of the frame as Todd Emr got things started with a walk. Brian Hurld followed with a single and Ludovic Geuquet reached via the base on balls. Victor Gerard then singled in Emr but that would be all the Angels could muster as Hurld was thrown out at home when a pitch squirted away from the catcher. After five the Angels were down 4-2.
Namur found themselves down 5-2 going into the bottom of the seventh. Brian Hurld led the inning off with a single and later scored on a single by Edouard Van Heer to pull the Angels within two. The late inning rally continued in the eighth when Hurld knocked in Thomas Vandenabeele on a single. Pinch runner Matthieu Deltombe scored from second on a deep triple by Jerome Sana to even things up at 5-5.
In the bottom of the ninth the Angels would complete the late inning comeback with some heroics from their young second baseman, Florentin Goyens. Cedric Nauts reached base to lead the inning off and went on to steal second. With one out and the winning run one hundred and eighty feet away, Goyens singled to right and Nauts beat the throw home to give the Angels the thrilling 6-5 victory. Nauts also picked up the win in relief.
On Sunday the Namur Angels were looking to complete a weekend sweep that has been so elusive recently. They sent Brian Hurld to the mound with the hopes of securing win number eighteen on the season. Unfortunately, things would get off to a shaky start.
In the bottom of the first the Cats took advantage of some bad defense as they pushed two run across. Yet again the Angels were down but not out.
We fast forward to the sixth inning where the Angels offense woke up to tie the score. After a walk, an error, and a fielder’s choice Jerome Sana hit a double deep in the right center gap that plated Todd Emr from second and Brian Hurld all the way from first. After six the score was tied at two apiece.
The offense was back at it in the eighth inning as Hurld doubled in Emr to put the Angels on top for good.
In the ninth Hurld helped his own cause again by singling in two more to give the Angels the 5-2 lead. He would head back to the mound to finish the complete game three hitter by sitting the Cats down in order in the bottom of the ninth. The final score was 5-2 in favor of the Angels who enter a week long break riding a two game winning streak.
Angels stumble on the road - split series with Kangaroos
On Saturday, the Angels headed down to Brussels to face off against the Kangaroos in a game that would feature everything from a rain delay to an early ending via the ten run rule.
After a scoreless first the offenses took over in the second inning. In the top of the inning the Angels would push three across. Things started innocently enough with a leadoff walk by Thomas Vandenabeele. The walk was followed up by a throwing error and a passed ball that scored Vandenabeele to put the Angels on the board . Nicolas Migeot would follow up with a deep triple to right plating Geuquet Ludovic. With two runs already in, leadoff hitter, Jason Holowaty knocked in Migeot on a single to right to give the Angels an early 3-0 lead.
In the bottom of the second the Kangaroos would more than match the Angels offensive output. The first three batters would reach on two singles and a walk. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Kangaroos cleanup hitter, Harold Castillo singled in Theodore De Bellefroid. The Kangaroos pushed three more across without the benefit of a hit. After scoring one on a fielder’s choice Angels starter Harold Gerard walked in two more. At the end of two innings the score was 4-3 Brussels.
Still down by a run in the fifth, the Angels would answer. Shortstop Todd Emr led things off with a wall ball double to centerfield. Jerome Sana followed with a single to give the Angels first and third with nobody out. Brian Hurld would pull the Angels even with a single to right field that scored Emr from third. Later in the inning Sana would scamper home on a fielder’s choice by Geuquet Ludovic to put the Angels back ahead 5-4.
The Kangaroos would answer again in the bottom of the frame. Rosario Williams led off with a single but Harold Gerard settled down getting the next two hitters out. The next two batters would walk, loading the bases for the leadoff hitter, Bellefroid, who singled to knock in two. Jeffery Landbory followed by doubling in two more runs to give the kangaroos an 8-5 lead.
The Angels didn’t have an answer as they would only push one more run across before games end. The Kangaroos offense onslaught continued with one run in the sixth, two in the seventh, and five more in the eighth, highlighted by two home runs to left. With the score 16-6 the game was ended due to the ten run rule. The Angels would look to rebound from the embarrassing loss on their home turf the following day.
Less than twenty four hours later the Kangaroos and the Angels would meet up again, this time in Namur. The Angels looked to get back on the winning track while the Kangaroos were looking for the weekend sweep.
Lefty Brian Hurld took the mound for his first start as an Angel and kept the Kangaroo bats at bay. Hurld went six innings while giving up only two hits and striking out four.
In the first inning the Angels took a lead they would never relinquish as leadoff hitter, Jason Holowaty, who led off with a walk was singled in by Todd Emr.
Things stayed quiet until the bottom of the third inning when the Angels would strike again. Todd Emr singled and advanced to second on an error. Emr then stole third and scored on a softly hit grounder by Hurld that was mishandled at third base. The Angels were now leading 2-0
Hurld continued to cruise into the sixth where his offense gave him more support to the tune of four more runs. Hurld led off with a single and pinch runner, Thomas Vandenabeele was moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Nicolas Migeot. The next three hitters would reach via a single and two walks. Later in the inning Phillip Van Woensel singled in a run. Todd Emr and Jerome Sana would follow up with bases loaded walks to extend the lead to 6-0 in favor of the Angels.
Nicolas Migeot would come on in relief in the seventh inning and would scatter three runs over the final three frames to record the save and salvage the finale of the weekend home and home.
Angels snap losing streak - split with Braves
by Brian Hurld
Game 1
The Angels made their way to Brasschaat on Saturday looking to get back on the winning track. They handed the ball to the big lefty Harold Gerard. Unfortunately for Gerard and the Angels things would get off to a rocky start.
In the bottom of the first inning Braves leadoff hitter Filip Van den Eynde got things going with a walk. Randy Georgiadis followed up the walk with a two run shot to left. Gerard would then settle down and get out of the inning.
Braves starter Koen De Clerck was determined to make the two run lead stand as he shut the Angels down through the first four innings. In this fifth however, the Angels offense would awaken from it’s sleep to tie the game. Shortstop Todd Emr doubled deep to left which was followed up by a walk to Jerome Sana. Later in the inning Edouard Vanheer would line a single to left, scoring Emr and getting the Angels on the board. Sana advanced to third on the single and scampered home to tie the game on a passed ball.
With a renewed sense of confidence on the mound Gerard continued to settle down and exert his will on the Brasschaat batters. He pitched eight scoreless innings after the rocky first and put the Angels in a spot to take one on the road.
In the top of the sixth Thomas Vandenabeele and Todd Emr would hit back to back singles to right. With two on and one out up stepped third baseman, Jerome Sana. He would put the Angels on top for good with a towering three run homer to right center.
The Angels would tack on two more runs in the ninth for some insurance to give them a 7-2 lead. Gerard came out in the ninth and continued is stellar performance with a quick one, two, three inning to give the Angels the victory.
Game 2
The Braves traveled to Namur on Sunday to complete the two game home and home series. Both teams took the field for what would end up being a lopsided rain shortened affair.
The Braves came out swinging with leadoff hitter Randy Georgiadis singling sharply to center field. After a walk and an error Jef De Belder would single in the game’s first run. The following batter, Ken Hendrickx, also singled in a run. After the first inning the Angels found themselves in a hole they couldn’t climb out of.
The quick two run lead would be all that Braves starter Clayton Cooper would need. Cooper pitched five innings of two hit ball while striking out nine Angels. With the Angels offense unable to get going the Braves took advantage scoring two more in the second inning along with lone runs in the third and fourth innings.
In the top of the sixth inning heavy rain ended the Angels chances at any possible comeback. After an hour of work on the field it was deemed unplayable. The final score was 6-0 with the Braves winning the rain shortened tilt.
Stars Complete Sweep of Angels
By Henry Perkins
On Sunday the Angels clashed with the Stars in Namur to conclude their two game weekend series. After getting off to a hot start the Angels saw their lead dissipate and then disappear in what turned out to be a rather wild affair.
With lefty hurler Harold Gerard off to a good start on the mound, the Angels established an early lead when Vincent King hit a two out single that plated Henry Perkins from third base in the bottom of the first inning. Namur added on to their advantage and going into the seventh found themselves in the driver’s seat atop the Stars 3-0.
It was in the top of the seventh that the tone of the game changed completely as Mortsel’s offense was finally able to solve Gerard. By the close of the frame the Angels had lost the lead and found themselves trailing 5-3. Mortsel’s offensive onslaught had just begun and in the eighth they increased their lead to a commanding 11-3 margin. In the top of the eighth the Angels had to use three different arms on the mound before finally working out of the inning.
Although Namur was in a very deep hole, the Angels battled back in the bottom of eighth and were able to reduce the Mortsel advantage to just three runs. With the score still at 11-8 in their final plate appearance the Angels’ effort at a comeback fell short after stranding two runners in the bottom of the ninth.
The 11-8 loss marks Namur’s fourth consecutive defeat. They will be back in action next weekend hoping to amend their losing ways against the Brasschaat Braves.
Angels’ Woes Continue
By Henry Perkins
The Namur Angels traveled to Mortsel on Saturday with the hope of righting the ship after two consecutive losses. The first game of the two game set versus the Stars commenced the second series of the season between the two clubs.
The Angels offense got to work early with a leadoff triple by second baseman Jason Holowaty in the top of the first inning. With one out and Holowaty still at third Namur’s shortstop Henry Perkins singled sharply off the glove of Mortsel’s third baseman. The ball careened just far enough for Holowaty to scamper home and give the Angels a 1-0 lead.
The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the fourth when Mortsel erased the one run deficit. The frame began with a leadoff double by Joseph Troxell. Troxell was quickly advanced to third by a sacrifice bunt. The next batter, Nathaniel Nordstrom, plated Troxell with a groundball that was handled by Namur’s second baseman. At the close of four full innings of play the score was even at one.
The 1-1 tie stuck until the bottom of the seventh when one Mortsel hit and a few Namur fielding miscues allowed the Stars to take the lead. The inning began with a leadoff double by Chris Van Braeken that dropped into right just out of the reach of a diving Vincent King. The next Morsel batter reached on a throwing error by shortstop Henry Perkins, and gave the Stars runners at first and third with no outs. A successful pickoff quickly turned disastrous when a throw skirted into the outfield and allowed one runner to score and the other to advance around to third. Ngyuen Boulet-Diaz then stepped to the plate for the Stars. The center fielder lined a ball deep enough into left for the runner at third to tag and score, which brought the score to 3-1 in Mortsel’s favor. After two uneventful innings for the Angels’ bats the 3-1 tally was finalized.
Zachary Potter took the loss for Namur after pitching a strong 8 innings in which he surrendered 4 hits while fanning 8 batters. Steven De Saedeleer got the victory for the Stars in a complete game effort in which he allowed 7 hits and struck out 4.
Offensively Jason Holowaty, who had two hits, including a triple, and scored the only run of the afternoon for Namur, paced the Angels.
Angels Fall To Squirrels
By Henry Perkins
The Namur Angels played just one game last weekend, squaring off against the Squirrels in Borgerhout on Sunday. The single game marked the conclusion of a two game series; the first of which was played in May.
On a day when the Namur bats were very lackluster, the Angels did manage to score on their first trip to the dish. Lead off man Thomas Vandenabeele started things for Namur with a lead off walk in the top of the first. After a strike out, shortstop Henry Perkins stepped to the plate with one out and gapped a double to left center, which allowed Vandenabeele to come around from first to score. Perkins was ultimately stranded at second, the Angels had trouble getting in runners from scoring position the entire afternoon, and after the top half of the first Namur led 1-0.
The Squirrels answered quickly in the bottom of the first as their lead off man, Lorenzo Oeyen, singled and then stole second. Oeyen advanced to third on a drag bunt base hit by Alain Meseure and then scored on a sac fly lifted into to center by Leon Lewis. After the first complete inning the score stood at one all.
The scoring subsided for both teams until the bottom of the sixth when Borgerhout’s bats heated up again. Angels’ starting pitcher Nicolas Migeot retired the first two batters of the inning before shortstop Alberto Valerio stepped into the batter’s box. Valerio blasted a Migeot fastball over the left field fence and broke the tie. The Squirrels thrived on the momentum of the home run and the next batter in the inning, Ben Ludowika, stroked a double down the third base line. A Kevin Vervloet double to right then plated Ludwika. At the close of the sixth inning the Squirrels had taken a 3-1 lead over the Angels.
Trailing by two the Angels’ lineup continued to struggle and the Squirrels added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth, making the final score 4-1.
Nicolas Migeot took the loss for the Angels, working eight full innings and allowing three runs. Borgerhout’s starter Yannick Gontier got the win after five innings pitched and just one run allowed.
Offensively the Angels only tallied three hits on the entire afternoon, but Henry Perkins did reach base in all of his plate appearances with one hit and three walks. The Squirrels’ offense was centered around Alberto Valerio, who had two hits on the day, a home run and a double.
The Angels will be in action again this weekend, June 27th and 28th, against the Mortsel Stars.