It was hard work: The Heidenheim Heideköpfe made it into the semi-finals of the play-offs in the Bundesliga. With 3:2 victories, the Heidenheim Heideköpfe have defeated the Dohren Wild Farmers. In the decisive fifth game, however, the Heidenheimers showed their strength and clearly won 11:2. “That could have gone wrong,” says Heideköpfe trainer Klaus Eckle on the tight end of the first round in the play-offs. Despite the exciting course, Eckle was able to take three lessons from the games against Lower Saxony.
The indicator came at the right time
In recent years, the quarter-finals for the heather heads were often just a casual warm-up for the round of the last four. But that was completely different this year: After the victory and defeat in Heidenheim, the entire squad of the Heideköpfe had to show their skills at the Wild Farmers last Saturday and Sunday. In the third game (6:0) thrower Mike Bolsenbroek excelled, in the fifth game you could rely on Sven Schüller – who showed no weaknesses on the throwing mound. “The series was really at eye level for long periods, but we deserved to get through,” says the Heidenheim coach, who also found praise for the opponent. As in Heidenheim, Dohren’s pitcher Roldan Ochoa kept the guests’ offensive in check in the fourth game (5:3 for the Wild Farmers). “He was really outstanding in the games,” Eckle looks back.
Stay in rhythm during the break
The fact that the Heideköpfe have to take another break from the game is not a broken leg for Eckle. With the five intense games, the heath heads are ready for the next task. “We’re in the rhythm of the game and can keep it up during the break,” he says. In Dohren, not only the throwers and the defense worked well, the accuracy on the plate was also right. In the three away games, Heidenheim hit a total of six home runs.
So the requirement for the two-week break without games applies: stay in competition mode and still gather strength for the semi-finals. Because in the traditional duel against the Regensburg legionnaires, the heath heads will not be less challenged.
The playoffs have their own rules
If you look back at the results in the regular season, the Heide heads should actually be the clear favorites in the games against Regensburg. The heather heads won all four games. But Eckle is not blinded by this. “In view of the better general conditions in Regensburg, they are actually always favorites,” says the Heideköpfe coach, who expects a hard-fought series. The strong team performance last weekend and the presence in the decisive phases give him courage. “When it came to the decision, we were there and delivered,” he says. In the semi-finals, which are also played in best-of-five format, the Heideköpfe initially have home advantage and will welcome the Regensburg team on August 19th and 20th on the Schlossberg (games start at 2 p.m. each time).
2023-08-08 08:52:12
#Short #series #Heidenheim #Heideköpfe #collected #insights
