Greys Squeeze By Angels
By Henry Perkins
Pitching was the name of the game in the second meeting of the weekend between the Merksem Royal Greys and Namur Angels. For the second Sunday in a row the Angels took a tie into the ninth inning and had the game decided in the final frame.
Merksem got the scoring started in the top of the second inning, pushing across one that turned out to be their lone tally until the ninth inning. After a leadoff strike out, third baseman Sven Timmermans laced a single into centerfield. The next batter then hit a sharp groundball that was mishandled by Namur’s second baseman allowing Timmermans to move to third. With one out right fielder Sieger Deckers lifted a shallow fly into right that was corralled by a diving Nicolas Migeot. By the time the Angels’ right fielder gathered himself Timmermans had tagged at third and scored the first run of the ballgame, giving the Greys a 1-0 lead.
The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the seventh as Namur starter Harold Gerard and Greys’ hurler Adam Crabb kept their opponents’ bats at bay. The Angels’ DH Zachary Potter led the way for the comeback when he hit a one out double that dropped just inside of the right field line. The next batter, Nicolas Migeot, came up big as well when he blooped a single into right that allowed Potter to come around from second to score, locking the game at one all. Unfortunately for the Angels this was the only run they could muster on the afternoon despite a few other promising scoring chances.
In the top of the ninth, with Gerard out of the game, Sven Timmermans led the inning off with a hard hit double into the right-center gap. He was quickly moved to third on a Jason Jie Sam Foek sac bunt, which gave Merksem the potential winning run just 90 feet away. Sieger Deckers then stepped into the box and after taking the first pitch executed a perfect suicide squeeze, which gave the Greys a 2-1 advantage. Namur’s attempts at a comeback fell short after they stranded a runner at second in the bottom of the ninth.
Adam Crabb got the win for Merksem in a complete game effort. Crabb fanned 8 Angels and allowed just one run. Nicolas Migeot took the loss in one inning of relief after Harold Gerard struck out 6 in eight innings of work for the Angels.
Sven Timmermans was the top performer for the Merksem offense with two hits and two runs scored. For the Angels Zachary Potter had two hits and also scored their only run
The Namur Angel’s next game will take place on Sunday, June 21st against the Squirrels in Borgerhout.
Angels Top Greys
By Henry Perkins
On Saturday the Namur Angels traveled to Merksem to take on the Royal Greys in game one of the weekend set. The Angels looked to rebound after having their season long win streak snapped in their previous contest.
The Angels’ offense wasted very little time in getting on the board and drew first blood in the top of the first inning. With one out first baseman Thomas Vandenabeele drew a walk and promptly advanced to third on a Henry Perkins double to right center. The next batter, third baseman Jerome Sana, walked, which loaded the bases with one out. Left fielder Juny Gressman stepped to the plate and dropped a soft liner between the Greys’ pitcher and first baseman, and after several Merksem players scrambled to make the play every Angel had advanced safely, giving Namur a 1-0 lead.
The Greys’ bats responded quickly in the bottom of the first when right fielder David Herssens hit a two out double off of Angels’ starter Zachary Potter. The next batter was hit by a pitch which brought up Gert Rosiers who delivered with a single to center field that plated Herssens, and after one full inning of play the score was locked at one.
The Angels regained the lead in the top of the third, scoring one which would ultimately be the deciding tally of the afternoon. Perkins singled up the middle with one out to get things started and then stole second. With two outs and Perkins still on second it was Juny Gressman who came through again for Namur. The left fielder deposited a “dying quail” into shallow right and with the runner moving on contact the Angels had taken a 2-1 lead.
In the top of fifth Namur added an insurance run on another Gressman RBI single that brought in shortstop Henry Perkins.
Angels’ ace Zachary Potter was right on track, delivering another solid outing. The starter pitched the full nine innings on the way to the win. He allowed 9 hits, recorded 9 strikeouts and only issued 2 walks.
For the Greys starter Andy Ruelle took the loss after working four innings, allowing 2 runs. Dennis Van Hoof, who finished the game, pitching five innings, allowing just one run, relieved him.
The Angels had 7 hits on the afternoon between only three batters. Leading the way was Juny Gressman with three singles and three RBIs. Henry Perkins and Adrien Geuquet each had two hits of their own, while Perkins also had 2 runs scored and 3 stolen bases.
David Herrsens led the offensive front for the Greys with two doubles, a run scored, and a stolen base.
Angels’ Streak Snapped
By Henry Perkins
After a thrilling extra innings game the day before, the Namur Angels traveled to Hoboken to take on the Pioneers in the final game of the weekend set. After a late start due to rain and poor field conditions, game two of the series turned out to be just as down to the wire as Saturday’s affair.
The Angels scored first in Sunday’s game when first baseman Thomas Vandenabeele led the inning off with a walk. Adrien Geuquet then moved the runner to second on a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt. After an error by Hoboken’s right fielder, Namur’s catcher Ronny Heymans drove in Vandenabeele from third base and gave the Angel’s 1-0 lead.
This score was shortlived as the Pioneers came back to even things up in the bottom half of the same frame. Sammy Lauwers singled to right with one out to get things started for Hoboken. He quickly advanced to second on a wild pitch and with two outs scored on a Dennis Ribbens single to center.
The Angels reclaimed the lead in the top of the fourth when second baseman Jerome Sana scored, but again the Pioneers answered back in the very same inning. Down 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth Dennis De Quint led the inning off with a single to center. The next batter, Geoffrey Kenis, doubled to right center giving Hoboken runners at second and third with no outs. Johnny Peerens drove in De Quint on a groundout to short stop and DH Marc Janssen singled home Kenis. When the inning ended the Pioneers had taken the lead with a score of 3-2.
The Angels quickly answered in the top of the fifth when led off man Philip Van Woensel ripped a double down the left field line. The next Angels’ batter, Ronny Heymans, singled to left and Namur had runners at the corners with no outs. Angels’ shortstop Henry Perkins then plated Van Woensel on a sacrifice fly to center and tied the game at three all.
The score stayed at 3-3 until the bottom of the ninth when the Pioneers were able to push across the final run of the afternoon. With starter Harold Gerard out, the Angels sent stalwart reliever Nicolas Migeot to mound. The inning started with two quick outs, but turned sour after a walk to Nicky Mertens. The next batter hit a come-backer to the mound that was misplayed and extended the inning even further. With runners at the corners and two outs the Angels elected to walk Steven Delannoy to load the bases. The next batter, Dennis Ribbens, stroked a two out single that scored Mertens and ended the game at 4-3 in favor of the Pioneers.
For the Angels, lefty Harold Gerard worked 7 innings and surrendered three runs while striking out two. Hoboken’s starter Kenny Vandenbranden pitched the full nine innings on the way to the win and had 11 K’s.
The Angels will next be in action on Saturday, June 16th against the Merksem Royal Greys.
Late Inning Heroics Propel Angels
By Henry Perkins
On Saturday the Namur Angels faced off against their closest competitor in the league standings, the Hoboken Pioneers, in what turned out to be a very exciting and hard fought contest. With their 12 game winning streak on the line, the Angels sent right hander Zachary Potter to battle the Pioneers’ lineup.
Both Namur and Hoboken were held scoreless for the first three frames, as starter TJ Hendricks of the Pioneers and Potter of the Angels stymied their respective opponent’s bats. In the top of the fourth the Pioneers struck first as the inning started when Zachary Potter struck out the inning’s lead off man Geoffrey Kenis, but Kenis was able to take first on a passed ball after fanning on the third strike. The next batter, Kenny Vandenbranden, singled to left giving Hoboken runners on first and second with no outs. Kenis and Vandenbranded came around to score on three passed balls before an out was recorded, giving the Pioneers 2-0 lead when the half inning concluded.
With their two run lead still intact the Pioneers’ bats went back to work in the top of the fifth. After a lead of strike out, Pioneers’ center fielder Steven Delannoy reached on an infield single. Delannoy wasted no time on the base paths and quickly stole second and then third base. The next batter, second baseman Dennis Ribbens, reached on a bunt single that plated Delannoy and gave Hoboken a 3-0 lead. Angels’ pitcher Zachary Potter worked out of the jam after allowing just one run, which ended up being the Pioneers’ final tally on the afternoon.
Down by three, Namur finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth. After the first two batters of the inning were retired shortstop Henry Perkins reached first on a fielding error by Hoboken’s short stop. Perkins then stole second, which gave the Angels a runner in scoring position with two outs. Angels’ third baseman Vincent King then lined a single into left field and Perkins came around to score from second and after six full innings of play the Angels trailed 3-1.
After a Hoboken pitching change, with the score the same in the bottom of the eighth it was King again who answered the call for Namur. Again with two outs, the Angels’ third baseman blasted a two run homer that brought around Philip Van Woensel, who had reached base on a double, and tied the game at three. With the score locked at three extra innings were required and play continued on into the bottom of the eleventh.
Leading off the inning, Angels’ shortstop Henry Perkins faced off against Hoboken’s closer Terrence Antonacci. On the second pitch of the at bat Perkins lifted a towering home run over the left field fence, finally ending the extra inning affair. Greeted by his teammates at the plate, Perkins’ run sealed the score at 4-3.
Angels’ starting pitcher Zachary Potter went the distance; pitching 11 innings and notching 15 strike outs on the way to the win. Pioneers’ starter TJ Hendricks pitched brilliantly as well, striking out 11 over seven innings of work.
Offensively the Angels were led by King and Perkins who each had two hits and accounted for all the RBIs on the afternoon, three of which came from King. Steven Delannoy led the Pioneers at the plate with two hits, three stolen bases and a run scored.
Former Angel shortstop signs with Québec Capitales
Morgan Brown, Namur's 2008 starting shortstop, will have the the chance to further his learning of the French language as he signed a contract the Quebec Capitales.
The Capitales are a franchise of the CAN-AM League, an independent professional baseball league featuring six teams spread in the North-East region of the USA as well as Canada.
Last year, the Capitales lost the CAN-AM finals in 3 games last year to the Sussex Skyhawks.
Brown, a former Harvard Crimson captain hit 0.384 for Namur in the Elite 6 round before flying to Australia to lead the Geelong Baycats to the play-offs.
In Québec, he will be on the same team as a guy named Eric Gagne, the former LA Dodgers closer who holds the recors for most consecutives saves.
Softball Tournament Belgium VS The Netherlands
le club des NAMUR ANGELS
a le plaisir de vous inviter à une double rencontre des équipes nationales de
Softball Dames.
VS 
le dimanche 21 juin
matchs à 12h30 et 14h30
rue de la 1ère Armée Américaine à Wépion.
Petite restauration
Entrée gratuite.
Relentless Angels Strike Late
By Zachary Potter
Angels Manager Christophe Dassy reshuffled the scorecard for the second game of the weekend series versus the Merchtem Cats. Only two players found themselves written in at the same position on both Saturday and Sunday, Vincent King at third base, and Cedric Nauts in right field. Namur’s everyday shortstop, Henry Perkins, made his first start of the season on the mound for the Angels.
The Cats threatened in the first as two of their first four batters were able to reach base safely. Unfortunately, with two outs, and runners on the corners, Perkins was able to induce an inning-ending ground out to second base. In the bottom half of the frame the Angels wasted little time as leadoff batter Philip Van Woensel started things with a hustle double. Two batters later he crossed the plate on a Perkins RBI single to left. The Angels took an early 1-0 lead.
Both teams bats’ were silent for the next two innings, but the Angels were able to add another run in the bottom of the third. Perkins, who batted second in the inning drew a walk and was able advance on a botched pick-off attempt by Cats pitcher, Darrion Siler. With one out and cleanup hitter Zachary Potter at the plate, Perkins was on the move again in an attempt to steal third base. He slid in safely, but the throw from the catcher got away, and he alertly scampered home for the second run of the game.
It was in the top of the fourth that the Cats countered with two runs of their own. Merchtem catcher, Kristof Van Droogenbroek who reached base on an error, was successfully advanced with a sacrifice bunt. A few pitches later, Cat’s centerfielder, Zach Rodeghero, served a line drive into leftfield that sent Van Droogenbroek home. Later in the inning, Rodeghero came around to score on a base hit by Esverty De Los Santos.
The Angels managed to regain the lead with their next chance to hit. Jerome Sana, playing shortstop, led off the fourth with a solid single to the left side. The next two batters struck out, but Sana was able to advance to third on a wild pitch and a passed ball. The crucial play of the inning was an error by the first baseman, who, on a ball hit by nine-hitter, Cedric Nauts, mishandled a throw from the shortstop, which allowed Sana to score.
The game proceeded as a tight battle until late, when the Angels added three runs in the seventh, and another six in the eighth. The highlight of the eighth was a towering three-run shot to leftfield off the bat of Ronny Heymans, Angels catcher / infielder.
Siler, making a gutsy start on just two days rest seemed to have officially run out of gas. He was relieved with one out in the bottom of the eighth by Rodeghero, who came in from center to finish it out. The game ended in walk-off fashion as the Angels plated their twelfth run, giving them the needed ten-run advantage. Vincent King came home on a bases loaded walk by Nauts.
Perkins finished the day throwing seven innings, allowing four hits and striking out ten. He helped is own cause by going 2 for 3 at the plate with two runs scored. Potter came in to relieve Perkins in the eighth and worked a quick 1, 2, 3 inning. The Angels have now won twelve consecutive games.
Angels Win Thriller
By Henry Perkins
The Namur Angels matched up against the Merchtem Cats on Saturday afternoon in a pitchers’ duel that was ultimately determined by just one run. The close win on the road marked Namur’s eleventh consecutive victory.
The majority of the contest was very uneventful from an offensive standpoint; the only runs for either team came in the seventh inning, due to two stellar outings by each team’s starting pitcher. For the Angels lefty Harold Gerard dominated Cats’ bats, allowing just two hits in eight innings of work. Gerard had 12 strikeouts on the afternoon and allowed just one run, which was unearned. Merchtem’s starter Bram Denys was equally as impressive, working the entire nine innings while surrendering 7 total hits. Denys kept Angels’ batters off balance the entire afternoon and was also able to extinguish any early scoring threats, getting the big out every time he needed it.
It wasn’t until the seventh inning that the Angels finally broke onto the scoreboard. The frame opened with a Vincent King single to center field. Just after reaching base, King stole second and gave Namur a runner on second with no outs. The next batter failed to move King, but Thomas Vandenabeele then reached on an error by the Cats’ first baseman and the Angels were back in business with runners on the corners and only one out. Vandenabeele promptly stole second, and with runners now on second and third right fielder Cedric Nauts attempted a squeeze that popped up and was caught by Merchtem’s catcher. In desperate need of a clutch two out hit, something the Angels were missing the entire afternoon, catcher Ronny Heymans delivered a line drive single up the middle that plated King and Vandenabeele, giving the Angels a short-lived 2-0 lead.
The Cats answered back in the bottom of the seventh, taking advantage of a few Namur miscues in the field. After a lead off strike out, Geert Cleymans sent a sinking line drive into shallow left that was misplayed and allowed the Cats’ second baseman to jog into second. The second out was recorded before Merchtem’s short stop Darrion Siller chopped a ground ball to short that was misplayed by Henry Perkins, an error that allowed Cleymans to come around and score from second. After an intentional walk, Herald Gerard worked out of the jam and preserved the 2-1 Angels lead. Angels’ stopper Nicolas Migeot came into finish the game, and after a 1,2,3 bottom of the ninth Namur’s eleventh win was in the books.
The Angels had 7 total hits on the day, the biggest being Heymans’ 2 RBI single. King and Vandenabeele each had two hits in the game, leading the way for Namur. Darrion Siller and Tom Herinckx had the sole hits for the Cats.
Angels Best Squirrels
By Henry Perkins
The Angels took the field in mid-week action this Thursday against the Borgerhout Squirrels. Capitalizing on one big inning and a solid pitching performance, Namur tallied their tenth straight victory.
Both Namur and Borgerhout got off to a slow start offensively as Angels’ starter Zachary Potter and Squirrels’ southpaw Wesley Verelst cruised through the first three innings. In this span each pitcher only relinquished one hit to opposing batters. It wasn’t until the bottom of the fourth that either team sent a runner home, but in this half inning the Angels scored big making up for lost time.
The Angels’ bottom of the fourth started with a single from right fielder Juny Gressman. Gressman’s stay on the base-paths was cut short as he was retired on a fielder’s choice that allowed center fielder Nicolas Migeot to reach first safely. The next batter, Vincent King, singled to right, which gave Namur runners on first and second with one out. This is where Squirrels’ starter Wesley Verelst lost his stride, and walked the next four Angels’ batters, forcing Borgerhout into a three run deficit. With still only one out and the bases loaded, Angels short stop Henry Perkins doubled down the left field line, allowing two more runs to score, pushing the Namur lead to 5-0. After a run scored on a wild pitch and another came in on Gressman’s second single of the inning the Angels had advanced their lead to 7-0.
Namur added on a run in the fifth and the sixth, and a two out single by Jerome Sana that plated Adrien Guequet in the bottom of the seventh clinched the victory. The 10-0 final marked the Angels’ tenth consecutive win.
Namur pitcher Zachary Potter silenced the Borgerhout bats, allowing just four hits in seven innings while striking out 13. Squirrels’ starter Wesley Verelst took the loss in six innings of work and fanned 6 batters.
The Angels had eight hits on the day, and leading the way was Juny Gressman with two singles and one RBI. The Squirrels had four base hits on the afternoon, one of which was recorded by Yannick Gontier who also reached base safely in all three of his plate appearances.
The Angels’ next game takes place on Saturday, May 23rd in Merchtem against the Cats.
Angels Sweep Kangaroos
By Henry Perkins
In another well-rounded team effort, Namur continued their dominance over the Brussels Kangaroos in the second game of the two game weekend set. Despite a late inning hick-up, the Angels ultimately breezed on to win by eight.
The Angels got the scoring started early, putting up a run in each of the first two innings, the second of which came on a laser beam homerun off the bat of right fielder Cedric Nauts. Namur was able to significantly expand their lead in the top of third when they plated five more runs, all of which scored with two outs. After a lead off walk, Nicolas Migeot reached on a fielder’s choice and Henry Perkins quickly followed him with a single to left. After a fly out, the Angels had runners on first and second with two outs. The next batter, Jerome Sana, walked to load the bases and the following batter, Vincent King, walked as well, bringing in Migeot. First baseman Thomas Vandenabeele then stroked a single to right, which brought home two more. A costly error and other walk allowed an additional two runs to score, and at the end of 2 1/2 innings the Angels led 7-0. The Angels continued to extend their lead, adding two more in the fourth, one in the fifth, two in the sixth, and one in the seventh, advancing their lead to 13-0 at the close of the top of the seventh.
With a commanding lead Namur switched out starter Harold Gerard, who had cruised up to this point and had only relinquished one hit, for youngster Julien Soree. Despite a hard fought effort, Soree struggled to put down the Kangaroos, and after two hits, an Angel’s error, and several walks, Brussels closed the gap to 13-5. Nicolas Migeot took over on the mound at this point, finishing the game and freezing the score on the way to the Namur win.
Angel’s southpaw Harold Gerard had another stellar day on the bump. On the way to the win he pitched 6 innings and had 9 K’s, no walks and no runs. Kangaroo starter Cedric Desmedt took the loss, working 3 1/3 innings with 5 strikeouts and 7 walks.
Namur had 14 hits on the afternoon, led by Thomas Vandenabeele and Henry Perkins who each had three. Jerome Sana, Vincent King, and Cedric Nauts added to the offensive firepower by notching two hits apiece. The Kangaroo’s offensive effort wasn’t nearly as explosive, but both Manuel Martinez and Harold Castillo recorded a single and a run scored.
The Namur Angels will next be in action on Thursday, May 21, at home against the Borgerhout Squirrels.