WILLEMSTAD/PRAGUE — The Kingdom Team has made history by winning the Prague Baseball Week on its very first participation. In the final, the team defeated Chinese Taipei, thereby taking sporting revenge for the earlier lost final of the Haarlem Baseball Week.
After a strong tournament, in which several new pitchers were given the chance to prove themselves during the group stage, national coach Evert Jan ‘t Hoen chose the experienced Lars Huijer as the starting pitcher for the final. He had a difficult opening inning and saw Chinese Taipei quickly take a 2-0 lead via RBI singles from Chen-Yu Yang and Yu-Wei Kao. However, Huijer recovered impressively, worked his way out of trouble with a double play, and subsequently allowed hardly anything.
The Kingdom Team's offense then fought its way back into the game. In the third inning, Denzel Richardson brought the tension back by hitting a double to bring Marnix Ruben across home plate. Two innings later, Dwayne Kemp tied the game with an RBI single.
After 5 strong innings, Huijer handed the ball to Ryan Huntington, who struck out his first two batters immediately. Subsequently, Jelle van der Lelie also kept the score at zero, keeping the game completely balanced.
Decisive
The decision came in the eighth inning. Richardson emerged as the star of the final by hitting a solo home run over the fences and putting the Kingdom Team ahead for the first time. With two innings left to play, anchor pitcher Shairon Martis was tasked with securing the victory. The experienced right-handed pitcher held firm, prevented Chinese Taipei from scoring, and thus secured the tournament win.
In addition to the team prize, the Kingdom Team also received two individual awards. Richardson was named Most Valuable Player of the final, while Huijer received the award for best pitcher of the tournament.
With the victory in Prague, a successful baseball summer for the Kingdom team comes to an end. The internationals return to their clubs, after which the focus shifts to 2027. That year, the European Baseball Championship in Germany and the Premier12, where qualification for the Olympic Games is at stake, are among the events on the schedule. Meanwhile, the Kingdom's youth teams will also be in action, with the European Championship for the Under-12s and, later this month, the European Championship for the Under-18s.
