Lady Broncos struggle to convert hits into runs during games

The Lady Broncos faced two doubleheaders in the past week and were unable to cinch a victory against two league competitors.

Their first match up was against the Northwest Christian Lady Crusaders on March 29. The Lady Broncos did their best to face the Lady Crusaders offensively but were unable to turn their hits into runs and fell 3-11 and 4-18.

In the first game of the series the Lady Broncos stepped to the plate strong and brought in two runners in the first inning. Emily Rosen was 2 for 4 and Laurel Hayes was 1 for 3.

They held this lead until the bottom of the fourth inning when NWC scored 10 runs. In this inning the Lady Broncos struggled to keep the ball over the plate and allowed several walks.

Emma Aldrich pitched only the first inning of this game until Head Coach Todd O’Brien pulled her due to an illegal pitching scenario.

Lacey Miller then took to the mound to pitch for two and half innings with Rosen behind the plate. Jessa Hoeft then finished out the game pitching. This was Miller and Hoeft’s first time pitching for the season and they are both freshman.

The Lady Broncos brought home another runner in the sixth but were unable to match the Lady Crusaders and fell 3-11 after seven innings.

The second game began with the Lady Crusaders bringing in six runners in the first and seven runners in the second.

The Lady Broncos were unable to get their bats started with five hits compared to Northwest Christian’s 12.

Alarah Pierce-Pulliam started this game on the mound and Hoeft closed the game. The Lady Broncos had only three hits.

The Lady Crusaders kept their bats rolling and kept the lead despite the Lady Broncos three run attempt to come back in the fifth inning. The game ended in the bottom of the fifth after the Lady Crusaders 10-runned the Lady Broncos 18-4.

After this game Coach O’Brien worked with the team to keep pitches over the plate so the defense is able to get outs in the field.

On Saturday, April 2, the Lady Broncos returned to their home field to take on the Kettle Falls Lady Bulldogs.

The first game showed runners returning home in almost every inning for the Lady Broncos to try and match the offensive strength of Kettle Falls. Emily Kinney went 3 for 5 with a double and Alisha Baker was 4 for 4 at the plate.

Aldrich was on the mound for this first game with Miller behind the plate. Kettle Falls got off to a hot start bringing in nine runners in the first three innings. The defense struggled during this game and committed seven errors.

The Lady Broncos closed the gap in the bottom of the fifth bringing the score to 7-11 with the Lady Bulldogs still out in front.

Coach O’Brien said he did not feel they could get a timely hit. They had 15 compared to Kettle Falls’ 17 but left 14 girls on base.

Kettle Falls brought in three runners in the top of the seventh to seal their 15-8 win over the Lady Broncos in the first game of the day.

Aldrich and Miller continued their teamwork in the pitching and catching roles in the second game.

The Lady Bulldogs did not go on the scoring runs they did in the previous game but continuously brought in runners each inning.

Rosen hit a triple to bring in runners for the Lady Broncos to keep the score close early on in the game. Tessa O’Brien and Miller were each 2 for 3 from the plate. Unfortunately their 11 hits were only turned into four runs and the game ended 4-12 in the seventh inning with Kettle Falls sweeping the doubleheader.

They will host the Colfax Lady Bulldogs on April 9 for a doubleheader beginning at noon and then they will travel to Davenport for a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 12 beginning at 2 p.m.

To prepare for the games the team is going to work on ensuring they can execute routine plays on defense and getting better contact with the ball when runners are in scoring position.