“Many might be familiar with the image of a small, unassuming cat standing in front of a puddle, seeing not itself but the reflection of a tiger. There’s nothing wrong with being small and unassuming, but sometimes we need to grow beyond ourselves, and that’s exactly what this image symbolizes for me,” explains Head Coach Frank Mohr after the game against the Krefeld Crows.
“Entering a game with the right mindset is of immense importance for us as a team. That’s why I told my players before the game to go out there with confidence, to bring out the things we’ve worked hard on in training, and to trust that they can do it—even if they’re playing in positions they’ve never been in before.”
“Go out onto the field and roar, because today, you are tigers.”
And that’s exactly what the team did. They went into the game with great confidence and delivered an impressive and hard-fought battle against one of the league’s top favorites right until the end.
“Numerically, we were missing an entire team. Due to the rescheduled game, we had to do without nine players—something we wouldn’t have been able to compensate for a year ago. But today, a whole team was out on the field. A team that had never played or even trained together in this constellation before.”
There was no sign of nervousness, and the team approached their offense with determination, already scoring in the first inning. They were also solid in the circle and defense, capable of making the simple plays.
The grass was very wet, and some balls practically “died,” so it was crucial to charge ground balls hard in the infield to complete the play successfully.
“Here and there, we were sometimes a little late to the ball and put ourselves under pressure, but overall, I’m very satisfied with the performance, especially in the infield.”
The coaches were also pleased with the offense. The strategies practiced during the week mostly paid off.
“We’re thrilled with how quickly the girls learn and implement new things.”
The coaches understand that not everything works perfectly right away. Hard hits to the outfield landed directly in the opponent’s glove four times, ultimately preventing a better result.
“Even though it didn’t end in a victory, everyone can go home satisfied today. It doesn’t feel like a loss. We kept the game open until the 5th inning and had a real chance to win—something that wasn’t necessarily expected with this lineup. We are incredibly proud of this team.”
The final score of 6:16 from the perspective of the Düsseldorf Senators doesn’t change that.
