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WC in must-win territory vs. Canterbury
Wildcats must step up to victory or else face elimination
LLOYD ELSMORE - For the first time since the National Club Championship started, West City will be playing a must-win game on Saturday.
Coming off its first loss in the tournament, a disappointing 19-1 defeat against Howick on Friday, the West City squad will face a Canterbury team that it crushed last year.
This time around, any win will do. Because for either side, defeat means the end of the tournament. The winner advances to the final of the Nationals on Sunday.
"We have to take this game positive," West City manager Ken Sommers said after the defeat in game one. "We played good. They played better. That's why they won. They pitched good. What we've got to do is just focus and try to come out this afternoon and tomorrow and try to do the things we've got to do. Just put this game behind and concentrate and do the things we've got to do. Defense, pitching, offense -- what we've been doing the whole season. If we do that, we're going to be all right."
Before the tournament, West City likely would have been considered an underdog to a Howick team that has the most lineup depth of any team in the Nationals. A raft of West City injuries, combined with last Sunday's score, has done little to changed the perception of this matchup. West City may not be the favorite, but it's certainly at least in position to pick up another win.
"Tomorrow, we have to come in with the mind-set of winning," said outfielder Gareth Hooton, who has been torrid in Pakuranga. "We're going to play against a Canterbury team that's a great team. We're going to out on the ball field and try to score early. Any time you score early as a team, the team gets its confidence. You win some games, you lose some games throughout the season, and we lost today, but bounced back great in the second game."
"I know we'll be ready to play," said Matt Mills, who took the loss on Friday morning. "That's all I know. Just the faces on the guys, they were devastated. I can feel that pain, because I was the one that was pitching."
