Two Defeats and Many Small Victories
“Today we were basically running on reserve and somehow dragged ourselves across the finish line. The girls still gave everything, as always, and fought against the losses until the very end. You could feel very clearly that the strength was fading – not only among the players, but throughout the entire staff as well. It’s been an incredibly exhausting season so far, one in which we’ve demanded everything from the team, physically and mentally. On top of that, the sheer number of games has taken its toll. But one thing I want to emphasize clearly: I’m very grateful to the federation that the game days are played as doubleheaders. That’s the only way we can continue to develop our sport in Germany, make it more visible, and give our talents valuable playing time to carefully build them up step by step.
Looking back on today, I see two defeats – but above all, I feel pride. Because even though we lost both games, every single player showed today how much she burns for this team. Each one had to push herself to the limit, each one had to leave her comfort zone. And that is what defines us.
The first game was extremely tough. We had to completely reshuffle positions, and it was clear from the start that not everything would run smoothly. We quickly fell behind, and it looked as if we wouldn’t be able to turn the game around. But that’s exactly when the character of a team shows. Instead of giving up, the team kept fighting. After being down 3–8, we made it really exciting again. Losing 8–13 in the end is bitter – but it also shows that we gave everything until the last pitch. Nobody let their heads drop. On the contrary: you can feel the joy with which softball is being played here, no matter what the scoreboard says at the end.
After a short break of just thirty minutes, there was hardly any time to adjust for the second game. We had actually prepared scenarios, but then an injury threw all our plans overboard. That challenged us even more, because there weren’t many options left in the field. Still, we communicated the goals clearly. For me, there was no question: we would go into the game with Nina and Olivia as pitchers.
About Nina, I want to say this: today she had some trouble finding her landing zone and struggled to fully execute her motion.
That happens – especially when the strain has been so high for weeks on end. We had to take her out already in the first inning, but I’m still satisfied with her performance. Because every single pitch helps us. Every pitch makes us stronger, teaches us how to deal with nerves, and ultimately gives us confidence. That’s development, and I’ll gladly take that with us.
And then there’s our youngest player, and we couldn’t be prouder of her. Today Olivia showed impressively what we can look forward to in the future. With three hard-hit balls at the plate, she not only proved her increasingly consistent offensive qualities. Since we had traveled without a shortstop, Olivia spontaneously took over that role in defense – and did it flawlessly. For me, that was a real highlight. And when we needed her in the circle as well, she pitched three really strong innings.
What moved me the most was that in the postgame talk she emphasized again how important the entire team is to her. She thanked everyone for their constant encouragement and motivating words. That shows her character, and it also shows that such success wouldn’t even be possible without every single player.
At the end of the day, the record shows two defeats. But if you look closer, there are also many small victories: the fighting spirit, the joy of the game, the growth of young players, the support for one another. These are all things we can be proud of.
Of course, we would have loved to win the games. But we’re not too disappointed. We knew that playing against Jülich wouldn’t be easy. Jülich earned these victories – that has to be acknowledged without envy. For us, it’s now about regenerating, gathering strength, and looking ahead. This team has heart, it has courage, and it has the ability to keep getting back up. And that’s exactly why I am convinced that we will come out of this season even stronger than we went into it.
On the final game day against Neunkirchen, we will throw in everything we’ve got once more and reward ourselves with two selfless, wholehearted games for what has already been an outstanding season.”
