Lady Broncos begin looking toward district playoffs

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Lady Broncos played three doubleheaders last week and currently have a 6-6 record. They are currently ranked sixth in the Northeast 2B League.

Head Coach Todd O’Brien stated the team will need to win another few games to secure their spot in the district playoffs, which take place on May 10 and May 17.

Their first game on Tuesday, April 12, was on the road against Davenport. Coach O’Brien was pleased with the way the team played in both of the games against the Lady Gorillas.

The first game ended in five innings with the Lady Broncos winning 23-8. Overall, the team had three errors, 21 hits and were walked eight times.

Laurel Hayes went 2-for-4 from the plate. Alarah Pierce-Pulliam, Cassandra Rand and Emily Rosen each went 3-for-5 and Tessa O’Brien went 5-for-6.

The team played well against Davenport making sure to stay patient at the plate. They carried this energy into the second game where they won 14-2.

Emma Aldrich and Lacey Miller each hit triples in this game and the team as a whole made timely hits to ensure few runners were left on base.

There was just one error for the Lady Broncos in this game and 11 hits. Coach O’Brien was extremely pleased with the team sweeping the doubleheader as the Lady Broncos fell to the Lady Gorillas in their match up last season.

The team then traveled to Moses Lake to face Moses Lake High School’s ‘C’ team on Thursday, April 14.

Because of the short timeframe to play this doubleheader, the first game only lasted three innings and the second just four innings.

In the first game Coach O’Brien said he was proud of the way the girls played all around. They won the first game 18-12 with eight hits and eight errors.

They were patient behind the plate, which is something they work on heavily in practice, and made good contact with the ball.

Jessa Hoeft pitched during this game and did a good job containing the Moses Lake batters.

Trinity Wyma and Rand each went 2-for-4 from the plate. Hoeft, Cameron Weber and Madison Miller each had a hit as well.

In the second game the Moses Lake team brought in a pitcher from their junior varsity team who pitched faster and the Lady Broncos struggled to adjust.

Rand had one hit and Hoeft pitched most of the game with Pierce-Pulliam coming in for the last inning.

While Coach O’Brien said he is still pleased with the way the team played they lost this game 2-18. O’Brien sees this game as extra experience for the team.

The Lady Broncos also took on Tekoa-Rosalia in Tekoa on Saturday, April 16.

The team was 10-runned in the first game scoring three runs, five hits and earning four errors. The pitcher for Tekoa-Rosalia had a slower rhythm than the Lady Broncos are used to seeing and they struggled to stay patient when at bat.

Coach O’Brien said the hitters’ timing was off and they were unable to wait for the ball to be at a good spot to hit.