By Tara Murray
North Western Titans held their nerve to record a victory in their first final against Geelong Baycats Blue on Saturday in Baseball Victoria Women’s division 3 west.
Despite playing in their first final, the Titans side was focused from the start.
They jumped out of the blocks with seven runs in the first innings, before Geelong equalled the scores with seven of their own in the second innings.
Both teams would have moments throughout, with the match decided in the final innings, with the Titans winning 16-15.
Titans president Danny Haymes said they were thrilled for the side.
“It was a great game of baseball from both sides,” he said.
“They [Geelong] led for half the game and we fought back in the last innings of the day, scoring five runs.
“Geelong had a player on second base to tie the game in the last … we played some crucial baseball, it was tense to be honest.”
Haymes said the most pleasing thing was that they had shown that they had learnt from their losses in recent weeks.
He said the group was able to handle the pressure and stay in the game when they were behind.
“Geelong played their best game and they hit the ball hard,” he said.
“The girls learned from past mistakes and played smart baseball. The experiences on the field are paying off.”
Haymes said it was a real team effort with everyone contributing.
The Titans this week face Fitzroy Lions in a preliminary final, with a spot in the grand final on the line.
The Lions lost to Sunshine Eagles 17-4 on Saturday.
Haymes said they would go in with plenty of confidence to the preliminary final.
“We’ve beaten them twice and lost to them once,” he said.
“The girls can’t wait and want to get back into training and focus on trying to make a grand final.”
