An expected hard game

“Before we get to the actual analysis, I would like to congratulate the ladies of the Aachen Greyhounds on their victory.” Head coach Frank Mohr starts to summarize the game.

“Our own performance shouldn’t reduce the clear and well-deserved winner of the game. Nevertheless, at this point a little clarity must be created about how the result came about. Anyone who relies solely on statistics will get a somewhat distorted picture of what happened at Brandner Wall.”

Changed at five positions, without a substitute, a rookie and two infielders who had just recovered from illness, a win that day was not to be expected.

“We can’t play a game like the one we conjured up in Verl every week, so I have to compliment my girls despite the many mistakes they made. They always give it their all.”

The Senators Ladies were able to keep the game tide up into the fourth inning and were even in front up to that point, but somehow the thread suddenly broke and concentration seemed lost. The easy plays were not made and so the bases filled up again and again.

“Keeping the lid on a can of worms, the arms become heavy and the throws inaccurate.” Frank Mohr tries to find a explanation. “Then there are doubts and the urge to help your pitcher out of the mess. A bad combination.”

After a convincing performance, the coaches had to take their starter out of the game after only 3 1/3 innings and replace them with a position player.

A decision that the coaches were reluctant to make. On the one hand they wanted to protect their starter and on the other hand they threw an unprepared player into the circle.

“Katja took one for the team and got us out of the inning. Mentally, that was a great success.”

In the end, however, she was unable to prevent the clear defeat of 14:24.

“Even though it may sound like it, I’m not trying to sugarcoat the result. It was and remains a deserved victory for Aachen. But the statistics don’t say anything about the unconditional dedication with which the girls fought back against this defeat.

When asked how he intends to play against Neunkirchen next week, he answers with a smile.

“I am an incorrigible optimist. If we can play at full strength and without injury, anything is possible in Neunkirchen.”

Late Comeback not enough

After the two regional softball leagues were merged, the softball ladies of the Verl/Gütersloh Yaks met again on Saturday, April 29, 2023. For the Yaks, who defeated the Aachen Greyhounds 22:10 on a foreign pitch the week before, it was already the second game, whereas the Senators Ladies were just starting their season.

“At the beginning you never know exactly where you stand,” shared head coach Frank Mohr shortly before the game, according to his thoughts. “Despite good preparation, the first game of the season is often full of surprises.”

To make matters worse, the ladies had to cope with short-term cancelation of sick players and so they started the journey to Verl with only one substitute.

“The game plan was completely different, but somehow we are used to having to rethink at short notice. Making a virtue out of necessity is not just an empty phrase for us, we live it.”

Despite the many changes, the Senators’ ladies came into play well and were able to achieve a comfortable lead of 7 runs in the first inning, which took some of the burden off the starting pitcher’s shoulders. New to this role, she is playing her first season in this immensely important position.

“As excited as we are about her tremendous progress during the off-season, we mustn’t forget that Vanessa only made the move from 3rd base to circle last season,” emphasizes head coach Frank Mohr.

A step that could not have been taken so quickly without the new pitching coach, Courtney Oliva from Plus Ultra Pitching. Her analyzes and assistance are also indispensable during the season and so the coaches are in constant contact when it comes to improving the team’s performance.

It was clear to everyone that the lead would not be a calming cushion, as the Yaks responded with solid contacts in the next inings and also benefited from some defensive deficiencies.

After the fourth inning it was 11:11 in an exciting and balanced game. There were swaps in the circle and some position changes were also made in the field, but this shouldn’t lead to a crack in the game.

However, a preliminary decision in favor of the Yaks seemed to have been made in the 6th inning when they were able to pull away to 18:14. In the 7th inning, the Yaks pitcher, who was in a good mood, also caused euphoria in the opponent’s dugout with two quick outs. But the senators didn’t give up and came back brave. With their backs to the wall, they started a two out rally, tied the game and forced the Yaks back on the offensive.

If there was a tie in softball, that would have been a fair result, but of course it didn’t turn out that way. The senators small Lineup couldn’t hold up and so it was not surprising that the Yaks managed the walk off with a single into the CF, with a runner in scoring position.

“We’re always impressed by the comeback qualities our girls have.”, the coaches sum up in unison. “We are a team that never gives up. The batting practice over the winter continues to improve the bats. We have hard contacts, a good 42% of our AB are Quality AB and no matter what circumstances we are into, we find an answer. If we can minimize the errors in the field and play at full strength, we’re a serious opponent for any team.”

We congratulate the Verl/Güterloh Yaks on a great game and look forward to seeing you again in Düsseldorf. 

A big thank you goes to our supporters Caro and Janine from Beer Kong, who also cater for us on away trips.

#kongostark

Next week the ladies will travel to Aachen. Here, too, we expect a game at eye level.