Rotoiti women's softball player Ruta Houkamau winds up during the final against Swaggers. Photo / Supplied
Rotoiti women's softball player Ruta Houkamau winds up during the final against Swaggers. Photo / Supplied
The Rotoiti women's softball team are the 2018 Western Bay of Plenty champions after beating Tauranga side Swaggers 10-4 in the final.
Coach Tom Tipu said the team played "great" in the final.
"We had a bit of a team change, a lot of different positions, and it went verywell. Our team was very tough and made no mistakes, that's what got us the win, no mistakes," Tipu said.
Rotoiti's path to the final was no walk in the park. After just scraping through to the semi-finals they found themselves facing an uphill battle against Rangataua Papaka.
Down 10-1, Rotoiti produced a miraculous comeback to pull the score back to 10-all and force a tie-breaker, which they won to progress to the final.
"It was quite a hard season, we were lucky just to get into the top four. It was a bit of a struggle in the semifinal, but it was a good comeback. Pam Tipu got us back on track and got us to that 10-all, she brought in our last four runners, it was great. It was very exciting.
"The semi was more nerve-racking than the final, but the comeback gave us momentum and confidence going into the final. These players always come with an open mind and a great attitude. It took a lot for them to build up their confidence and know the game properly," Tipu said.
He encouraged more women to give softball a go. Those interested can email Western Bay of Plenty Softball president Paul Goodall at presidentsoftballwbop@gmail.com.
