By Tara Murray
North Western Titans were left with mixed emotions after being knocked out of the Baseball Victoria women’s west division 3 finals.
Having only won their first match in November and making massive inroads to contest their first finals series, the Titans were proud of their efforts.
But there was also a case of ‘what might have been’, after losing the preliminary final to Fitzroy Lions 9-7.
Titans president Danny Haymes said they felt they were the better team on Saturday, but couldn’t convert it to a win.
“We beat ourselves,” he said.
“We out-hit them and we didn’t make as many errors as them.
“They took their chances at the right time, most of them in the one hit.
“We believed they deserved to win the game, so it hurts even more.”
Haymes said the one area that cost them was letting through too many walks in the third innings.
While disappointed for the season to come to an end, Haymes said they couldn’t have felt prouder of the side.
“The girls really fought it out and we couldn’t have asked for anything more,“ he said.
“They played outstanding.
“From where we started to where we are now, they are only going to get better and they’re already looking forward to next year.”
Haymes said the group now had confidence that they could get wins, while also matching it with the best sides in the competition.
He pointed to the development of 15-year-old Jemma Rigby to show how far they’ve come.
“At the start, she couldn’t catch and couldn’t hit it,” he said.
“The training is paying off. On Saturday she got a hit, [and] she is catching the ball as well.”
The Titans women are set to be in action during the winter.
Six or seven players will be part of the Titans’ mixed team in the Geelong winter competition, while the Titans are looking to enter a side in a women’s competition.
