Tension right up to the last out

On Sunday, the Senators women’s team showed what it means to fight — right down to the decisive final out.

After last weekend’s losses to the Aachen Greyhounds, the coaches didn’t want to hear anything about “making up for it.” Instead, the game was calmly analyzed and the team worked specifically on their own play during the week.

“After our six-week break, our opponent was simply one game ahead of us. Nothing that gave us any headaches,” said Frank Mohr.

Because Jülich was already the next opponent waiting at the door. In this league, standings and results carry little weight — every team has to be taken seriously — and it was with exactly that mindset that the team went into matchday.

An open slugfest developed right from the start, a game played with visors up, which the many spectators clearly enjoyed.

Enjoyment the coaches could probably only share to a degree, since things got pretty wild. As in the previous week, the Senators found themselves chasing an early deficit, and everything looked like a repeat of the Aachen matchday.

But: “The girls fought their way back fantastically and never gave up at any point after falling behind 7:2. In the last inning, with two outs, we even had the winning run on first base. That was softball at its very finest. That it wasn’t quite enough in the end? So what. That’s the game.”

In the second game, the team then came out firing and early on laid the groundwork for more relaxed faces on the coaching staff. But things got tight once again: in the fourth inning, with the bases loaded and no outs, the coaches had to pull their starter, who had been pitching well up to that point.

Jülich only managed one more run after that. “What our relief pitcher did in that situation, I think you can only really understand if you’ve lived through it yourself. That was absolutely first-class and ultimately secured the win for us.”

Just as the Senators had done before, Jülich fought their way back into the game and had their own chance to equalize, but this time the better end of it stayed with Düsseldorf.

Everyone who was there was rewarded with two extremely thrilling games, each decided by a margin of just a single run. It doesn’t get much closer than that. Neither team gave an inch until the very last out — and it’s exactly these kinds of games that show what makes this fantastic sport so great.

On September 6th, it’s “Play Ball” on the Südallee for the last time this season, before the final two away games in Jülich and Krefeld.

“Against Aachen again, and yes — we’re ready.”

A bumpy start after a long break from play

As expected, the first game after the six-week summer break proved to be a tough outing for the Düsseldorf Senators women’s team. The lack of game practice almost felt like starting from scratch. Still, losing both games of the doubleheader against the Aachen Greyhounds came as something of a surprise.

“The first game in particular somehow reminded me a little of our games against Krefeld,” said the head coach. “It was one of those game days when absolutely nothing came together—and unfortunately, if you look at the first game against the Aachen Greyhounds, we picked up right where we left off with that kind of performance. Of course, we as coaches are not excluding ourselves from responsibility. But that’s just how it goes sometimes, and we’re not going to dramatize it. We’ll analyze it calmly and work through it, just as we always do.”

The team made numerous mistakes, especially in the first inning, ultimately costing themselves a better result. “You could see that we weren’t really present on the field. We were a step too late on almost every ball, and in critical moments, we made unfortunate decisions.”

On a positive note, however, the Senators’ aggressive baserunning and their unwavering determination to keep playing for the win stood out.

“The girls truly never let their heads drop. That impresses me again and again.”

The coach also saw the deployment of several U16 players in new positions as a positive development. Regardless of the results, the young players are expected to continue gaining valuable experience, while the club is already turning its attention toward next season.

“Let’s be honest: after such a successful start to the season, we had certainly hoped for more. But we failed to keep pace, and our focus is now clearly on developing our young players and preparing for the coming season,” the head coach concluded.

“That should in no way diminish the excellent performance of the Aachen women, who fully deserved both victories. Fortunately, we don’t have much time to dwell on it, as the next tough test against Jülich awaits us this coming Sunday.”

The coaches are confident that the team will show a completely different side there.

SOFTBALL | MOVING FORWARD

Senators challenge league leaders Krefeld

It was meant to be two pivotal games. The result just didn’t go the way they’d hoped. Facing league leaders Krefeld Crows, nothing less than top spot in the Landesliga was on the line — exactly the kind of showdown a team works toward all season. Despite several absences, Head Coach Frank Mohr fielded a lineup that was more than competitive and fully committed to winning. At home, in front of their own crowd, the stage was set exactly as you’d want it for a game like this.

“We prepared intensely for these games and today, unfortunately, weren’t able to bring out our full potential,” said Mohr.

The Senators had studied Krefeld’s strong offense closely, and that preparation paid off, at least defensively: in the first game especially, the defense stood rock solid, holding the league leaders to just 4 runs — a real statement against the best team in the league. What was missing that day was their own offense. Across both games, the team never found its usual rhythm, and especially at the plate, the decisions often weren’t right. For Mohr, that’s no cause for concern but simply the next step in the team’s development: “Games like this show us most clearly what we need to work on. Against a team as well-drilled as Krefeld, you immediately see where we still have room to grow — and we’re taking those lessons straight into training.” The coaching staff doesn’t exempt itself from that either: “We didn’t deliver our best work today either. That’s part of the truth too,” Mohr added. In the coming training sessions, the focus will be squarely on decision-making at the plate.

More important than the result of any single game day is the direction the Senators have followed consistently for years. At the center of it all isn’t quick success but development: youth work and the targeted development of young players remain the club’s clear priority. Every game against a team like Krefeld gives the young talents on the roster a chance to gain experience against the league’s best — experience that pays off in the long run and shapes exactly the players of tomorrow the club is building toward.

“We still have 10 games left, and every one of them feels like a final for us,” said Mohr. With plenty of confidence behind them, the outlook is clearly forward-looking, without forgetting where the team came from. The season so far remains one the Senators can rightly be proud of, and that confidence is exactly what carries into the remaining weeks.

Alongside all this, the Senators’ youth program keeps growing — the foundation on which softball in Düsseldorf stands for the long term. And there’s news that shows just how serious the club is about this path: a major project, in the works for months, is nearing completion. More on that will follow soon — for now, this much can be said: it’s another important building block on the path the Senators are walking with full conviction.

Senators stay on the heels of league leader Krefeld

With a doubleheader win against the Cologne Cardinals, the Düsseldorf Senators further extended their already strong season record on Sunday, even if the road there was bumpier than usual. A full 13 last-minute withdrawals forced head coach Frank Mohr to completely rearrange his lineup on short notice, both on offense and defense. No fewer than five debutantes took the field in a Senators jersey for the first time, gaining not only their first experience in competitive play but doing so at positions they had rarely or never played before.

It was clear early on that this wouldn’t go unnoticed. In the first inning of game 1, the players’ nerves were plain to see: balls that would normally be caught safely didn’t land in the glove, communication between positions faltered, and the routine that usually comes from the regular lineup’s practiced teamwork was noticeably missing. Such sequences are simply much harder when the players you’re used to aren’t where you expect them on the field. But the Senators steadied themselves quickly. Already by the second inning the defense looked noticeably more secure, mistakes became fewer, and confidence on the field visibly grew with every out.

The game stayed tense and far from decided right up to the final out. The Cologne Cardinals proved a stubborn opponent, matching the Düsseldorf side for long stretches and repeatedly creating dangerous situations. Only as the game wore on did the Senators’ experience win out, finding the right answers on offense as well and closing out the first game 14:8. A major factor was one of our young U16 players, who set the decisive tone with a strong 4 RBIs and two inside-the-park home runs, ultimately swinging the game firmly in the Senators’ favor.

In the second game of the day, the Senators left no doubt from the very start. The uncertainty from the first game was blown away; instead, the team showed it knew exactly how to deploy its resources: the pitchers played their respective strengths precisely against the Cardinals’ batting order, while the defense behind them stood secure and focused. In the end, a clear 25:5 win was on the board. “A result that, at this margin, doesn’t really reflect the true picture of the day,” Mohr says, putting the lopsided score into perspective. What mattered more to him than the score anyway was something else: that on this Sunday, without exception, everyone took responsibility, including those players who don’t usually stand in the spotlight but instead fill, in the background, the roles that hold a team together. “We couldn’t be prouder of the team,” the coach sums up the day.

There’s not much time to catch their breath. Already this coming Saturday, July 18, the most important game of the season so far is on the schedule: at home, the Senators host league leader Krefeld. Nothing less than the top spot in the Landesliga is at stake, a genuine top-of-the-table clash offering the best conditions for an exciting duel.