A PIECE OF WORK
After the thoroughly satisfactory start to the season against the team from Verl/Gütersloh a good two weeks ago, the ladies of the Düsseldorf Senators traveled to the Greyhounds in Aachen for their first game on May 11, 2024.
They traveled to the Brandner Wall with an extremely thin staff, although some of them probably still remembered the game from last season. At that time, the ladies of the Senators suffered a severe defeat.
“That took a toll on us and, at least for me, it still resonates loudly,” Frank Mohr told us shortly before the game. “How we presented ourselves there could hardly be put into words.”
With three newcomers and a few ailing players, everything had to come together that day to take a win back to Düsseldorf. It was clear to everyone that this would not be easy against the Greyhounds, who were getting stronger from year to year. But the fact that things got so bumpy in the end surprised most of those involved.
“We are now masters of improvisation,” continued the head coach, “but we would also like to sit back and relax a little more.”
Lina Schwippert, who has been playing softball for Limestone University in South Carolina for a year, returned to the position of starting pitcher.
“Seeing Lina in the circle is a real pleasure,” enthuses the coach.
And it was actually the left-handed pitcher who got the Senators on the road to victory and never let them go.
In addition to her 10 strikeouts as a pitcher, she contributed another 6 RBI on offense, impressively demonstrating her class and providing the team with solid support.
However, what sounds like a straightforward matter ended up being more arduous than expected.
The ladies made some inexplicable mistakes and thus brought the opponent, who they had under control for long stretches, back into the game. The relief pitcher’s deployment didn’t even last a whole inning before the head coach had to pull the emergency brake.
“It literally broke my heart when I had to take our pitcher out of the game after such a short time,” explains Frank Mohr. “But first and foremost it was about protecting her. We made too many mistakes and couldn’t help her get out of the inning. 6 runs, all unearned, I think says it all. I thought about the game exactly a year ago when we got into a similar situation – and ended up losing.”
Lina Schwippert quickly returned to the circle and ended the game in a convincing manner, securing the Senators their first win of the young season.
“I’m not trying to find an explanation for this performance,” said Frank Mohr after the game. “There are days when not much fits together and you should quickly forget about them. Today was such a day. It was a piece of work. Not more but also not less.”
However, a big compliment goes to the newcomers to the team, who have shown that they will be a real reinforcement in the future.
“The result of 26:11 is also okay in the end. We made the most of the opportunities that were presented to us and left no doubt that we wanted to win this game. Things are going very well on offense; The defense is still a little lacking in coordination and clarity. A circumstance that will improve from game to game.”
And it has to, because the ladies’ next opponents on May 26th, 2024 are the Krefeld Crows, who lead the Division of the Softball Landesliga together with the Verl/Gütersloh Yaks.
