Lady Broncos fastpitch splits league doubleheader with Asotin

The Lady Broncos softball team came ready to play in a league contest against Asotin on March 31 in Ritzville. Their initial intensity faltered in the second game of the doubleheader, leading to Lind-Ritzville/Sprague splitting the games with the Lady Panthers.

Head Coach Todd O’Brien the team had a strong win in the first game, but will need to remain patient and focused if they want to be successful in both games of upcoming doubleheaders.

The Lady Broncos have been practicing for six weeks, and the Asotin match up served as their first doubleheader of the season. With only three games under their belt, and 25 practices, O’Brien said the Lady Broncos need more opportunities to compete against opponents and develop skills through competition.

With two recently postponed league doubleheaders, O’Brien said the LRS team will be playing 17 games within the next five weeks. This will provide the Lady Broncos with the experience they need and help the team to fine-tune their skills and prepare for postseason competition.

In the first game against Asotin, O’Brien said LRS played solid defense, pitched decently, moved well around the plate and achieved a few base on balls.

The Lady Broncos were strong at the plate in the first game, and won with a final score of 14-8. O’Brien said the team paid attention to details and ran the bases well, helping LRS secure the win.

The team was led by Tessa O’Brien and Emily Rosen at the plate. Tessa ended the game hitting 3-4, and Rosen went 4-5, allowing the duo to secure seven of the Lady Broncos total runs.

Alarah Pierce-Pulliam also had a strong game, ending the game with two RBIs and one sacrifice.

Hailey Ayers pitched the first game for the Lady Broncos and had a successful game on the mound, O’Brien stated.

O’Brien said the LRS team had to take a minute to start to increase the tempo, but he added they remained patient and calm, allowing the Lady Broncos to rack up 15 hits in the game.

In the second game, Asotin took the win after five innings with a 17-6 victory.

O’Brien said the Lady Broncos came into the game with nerves and indecisiveness. He added the team may have been overconfident after the initial win, but struggled to contain the Lady Panthers as they slowly pulled ahead.

Both team remained scoreless in the first inning, before Asotin posted two runs in at the top of the second. The Lady Broncos did not have a response to the runs, and Asotin increased their lead with five runs in the third inning.

The LRS team pulled together to post three runs at the bottom of the third, before Asotin scored an additional two runs at the top of the fourth.

The Lady Panthers secured the league game win with eight runs in the fifth inning. The Lady Broncos responded with three runs, but O’Brien said it was not enough to prevent Asotin from earning the win.

Cailey Boettcher-Vallone and Emma Aldrich shared the pitching responsibilities in the second game for the Lady Broncos.

Lacey Miller and Mercedes Miller had stand-out performances for LRS, both going 3 for 3 with a double.

O’Brien said the Lady Broncos detriment was multiple errors, included mental errors. The team recorded five errors in the second game, but the mental errors were even more plentiful, he added.

The team struggled with remaining focused and had multiple throws to the wrong base, eventually resulting in runs for Asotin. O’Brien said he knows, and the team knows, they are capable of playing better softball and he expects to see progress in the upcoming league games.

The Lady Broncos took on Davenport on April 10, and are tentatively scheduled to play Reardan in a rescheduled game on April 13. The team also hosts Liberty at noon in Ritzville.