The Wesseling Vermins won the championship in the German Softball Bundesliga for the first time in team history. They beat defending champion Mannheim Tornados 4-3 in the final on Sunday in Ratingen after Alina van Bruck scored on a walk-off RBI fielder’s choice by Christina Lipp in the bottom of the ninth. Both teams had crossed the plate once in the first extra inning. Brittany Barnes and Von Bruck had put Wesseling in front in the third, when they scored on a single by Martina Philipp in combination with an error. But Mannheim came back, tying the contest with a two-run single by Christine Bruckner in the fifth.
The Vermins had reached the championship game after finishing the preliminary round with two wins and one loss in first place. The Tornados were in second and had to beat the Neunkirchen Nightmares 6-4 on Sunday morning to reach the final. The Brauweiler Raging Abbots, which were the lone team to win against Wesseling at the Final Four, finished in fourth. Claudia Volkmann of the Vermins, who pitched six innings in relief in the final, picked up the trophy as the most valuable player. Jutta Lehmeyer of the Tornados was named best pitcher with an ERA of 0.48 in 14 2/3 innings. Arlene Quinn of the Nightmares received the best batter award.
Results:
Final:
Wesseling Vermins – Mannheim Tornados 4-3
Game for Third Place/Semi-Final:
Mannheim Tornados – Neunkirchen Nightmares 6-4
Preliminary Round:
Mannheim Tornados – Brauweiler Raging Abbots 8-1
Neunkirchen Nightmares – Wesseling Vermins 3-6
Brauweiler Raging Abbots – Neunkirchen Nightmares 1-5
Mannheim Tornados – Wesseling Vermins 3-7
Neunkirchen Nightmares – Mannheim Tornados 5-13
Wesseling Vermins – Brauweiler Raging Abbots 6-7
Final Standings German Softball Final Four in Ratingen:
- Wesseling Vermins
- Mannheim Tornados
- Neunkirchen Nightmares
- Brauweiler Raging Abbots