Line score
| TEAMS | 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. | 6. | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Senators | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 11 | 12 | 5 |
| Stingrays | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | - | - | 12 | 11 | 2 |
Sunshine in Wuppertal
On the third day of play, the Düsseldorf Senators visited the Wuppertal Stingrays—and the first game, in particular, is one that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
The game actually started off well. Offensively, they got off to a good start, including an early home run by Nori. Later on, Tom also made a strong statement with another long ball. For long stretches, it was an open game in which both teams put runs on the board and gave each other no quarter.
What defined this game, however, was the Senators’ defense—and unfortunately in a negative way. Officially, only a few errors were recorded, but in reality, the error rate was significantly higher. In total, there were well over ten instances where balls weren’t fielded cleanly, wrong decisions were made, or simple plays weren’t executed. These weren’t just classic errors, but also mental lapses and unnecessary actions that repeatedly gave Wuppertal extra opportunities.
As a result, they kept the opponent constantly in the game, even though their own offense produced enough to actually win the match. In the end, that’s exactly what cost them: In a game that could have gone either way, the necessary stability was missing at the decisive moment—and the Senators had to admit defeat by a narrow margin of 11–12.
Line score
| TEAMS | 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. | 6. | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Senators | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Stingrays | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 15 | 9 | 2 |
Decision after 1 hour and 44 minutes.
The second game presented a different picture. The defense was significantly more solid, and the number of major errors was reduced. Andi took the mound and fought his way through the innings, even though the Wuppertal offense repeatedly posed problems for him and kept up constant pressure.
Despite the improved defense, the Senators fell behind early and trailed for the entire game. Offensively, they lacked the consistency needed to mount a decisive comeback. Wuppertal played out the game solidly, and the match ended in the sixth inning with a score of 4–15.
To make matters worse, the Senators could only field nine players on this game day. With no substitutes available, everyone had to go the full distance—an additional strain that became noticeable as the day went on.
The bottom line is a game day that clearly demonstrated, especially in the first game, what needs to be worked on. With such a high error rate, it’s nearly impossible to win games in this league. At the same time, the team hung in there despite the circumstances—and that’s exactly what we need to build on now.
