Senators at Ratingen Goose Necks
After a convincing performance against the leader of the softball Landesliga, where the ladies had lost by just one run, one reckoned they had a good chance of taking something countable from Ratingen.
“This is our first game against the Goose Necks,” explains head coach Frank Mohr, shortly after the final pitcher practice session on Friday evening. “This is a young and talented team, which is stacked on all positions and the girls from Ratingen can hit very well. So we are looking forward to an ecxiting and varied game.”
However, the preparation for the game on Saturday, September 2nd, 2023 couldn’t have been less favourable. Exactly on the days when the ladies’ practices were supposed to take place, the south of Düsseldorf went underwater.
“We were forced to move the pitcher practice indoors so that we could at least get a little practice in.”
As rainy as the week was, the roster depth became bleaker from day to day. Injuries and illnesses of a short-term nature made planning immensely difficult and presented the coaches with a great challenge until shortly before the game started.
“I have no idea how we did it in the past, but somehow we always got a team together,” says Patrick Mohr. “We didn’t make it easy for ourselves and rewrote the lineup several times. In the end we had prepared something for three scenarios. That wasn’t really fun.”
With only eight players and just as many position changes compared to the previous week, the ladies of the Düsseldorf Senators went into a game that could not be won.
In the first inning alone, as many errors were produced as in the last six games combined.
“Certainly not surprising considering the wild lineup, but no less frustrating.”
The starting pitcher, however, was in a very good mood, improving her strike ratio in the game to 80%.
”A great value and the reward for tireless work.”
Many groundballs were the result of this performance, which could not prevent the numerous hits into right field. Right field remained vacant, putting second base a little deeper than usual. But no matter what the coaches tried, the ladies of the Gosse Necks often found a gap and were the better team at bat that day.
“We couldn’t fully call up our quality at the plate and with an automatic out you hardly have a chance against such an opponent.”
However, the Senators’ ladies got better from inning to inning and fought their way back into the game. Unfazed by the personal situation and the high deficit, they held out until the end and suddenly had the momentum on their side. With two out in the fourth inning, the Senators lineup increased to nine and there was some hope, but it was too late for a real turnaround.
“We thanked the girls for the circumstances under which they had to play today and apologized at the same time ,” said Frank Mohr. “You always give your all and we are very sorry that we couldn’t give you a better feeling in the game. The defeat is absolutely fine, but at 12:27 it is clearly too high. We’re better than that.”
The ladies of the Senators want to prove this next week, when the Wuppertal Stingrays are guests at the Südalle.
