Kaiserslautern catcher Alessia Garcia tags out Wiesbaden team captain Kayla Pham on March 16, 2024. Pham was running back to third base after attempting to steal home. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
WIESBADEN, Germany — Hope springs eternal when teams put on cleats, caps and gloves and start playing on the ball field every spring.
Two teams full of such feelings met Saturday on Clay Kaserne. And though one of them walked away with two victories, each still carried at least some optimism afterward.
Kaiserslautern, coming off a 15-1 regular season a year ago that ended with a rough postseason tournament, rallied for a late run in extra innings to down Wiesbaden 21-20 after a lopsided 21-6 win in the opener.
Raiders coach Zac Robinson said Saturday was all about getting different players a look at different positions.
“Of course we wanted to win, but at the same time we really wanted to try to mix things up and kind of figure out our team identity,” Robinson said. “We’re only going to get better and better.”
Wiesbaden, meanwhile, got a surge of confidence from a second game that was much closer than the first one.
In fact, the Warriors were up 18-11 in the bottom of the third, before Kaiserslautern rallied to tie the game at 20-20 to send it into extra innings. Senior Bev Clearke scored the run the Raiders needed in the extra frame to come out on top.
Kaiserslautern junior Mariska Campbell slides into third base during the season opener in Wiesbaden, Germany on March 16, 2024. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
Junior Valerie Fisher throws a pitch during the season opener against Kaiserslautern on March 16, 2024, in Wiesbaden, Germany. This was Fisher’s first game as a pitcher. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
Senior Bev Clearke throws a pitch during the season opener in Wiesbaden, Germany on March 16, 2024. Clearke also scored the winning run in game two of the matchup. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
Wiesbaden team captain Delaney Hodges scores a run during the season opener against Kaiserslautern on March 16, 2024, in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
Kaiserslautern coach Zachary Robinson huddles with the team after the Raiders gave up a string of runs to Wiesbaden during the season opener on March 16, 2024 in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
Senior Bev Clearke sprints home to score the game-winning run against Wiesbaden on March 16, 2024 in Wiesbaden, Germany. The Raiders won 21-20 in extra innings. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
Junior Giada Taylor connects with the ball for a hit during the season opener game against Wiesbaden on March 16, 2024, in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
Wiesbaden junior Lyann Cortes-Espanol connects with the ball during the season opener against Kaiserslautern on March 16, 2024, in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
Kaiserslautern had started the day off hot, with junior Giada Taylor’s double with the bases loaded starting a line of Raiders crossing home plate.
“I didn’t think about it too much,” Taylor said of her hit. “Just get a hit, get on base, and whatever happens, happens.”
In this case, what happened was Kaiserslautern taking a 10-1 lead after three innings in a game that was never in doubt after that.
The temperature dropped for the second game, but Warriors senior London Howell said her team, with only six players returning from last season, was just getting warmed up.
“During the break, we talked about how … we were doing better in the second half of the first game,” Howell said, adding she wanted that kind of play to carry over during the season.
While the Warriors were overcoming season-opener jitters, first-year coach Dougie Globke said he’s embracing his new role as much as many of his players are adjusting to theirs.
“This was something I didn’t expect to be as fun as it is coming into this as a baseball player not knowing much about fast-pitch softball,” Globke said. “Wow, I am impressed. These girls are eager to learn, and I’m really enjoying this.”
