LRS Broncos struggle to make contact at the plate, fall to Liberty

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos baseball team had difficulty finding consistency on the field as they suffered losses against Liberty on Saturday, April 8, in a league doubleheader. Head Coach Jason Aldrich said he expected Liberty to be tough competitors as they have been in previous seasons.

Freshman Garrett Frederick started as pitcher in the first game. Aldrich said Frederick continues to improve on his pitching skills as he struck out five batters and had no walks in four innings.

The Broncos struggled to make contact with the ball due to the speed of Liberty’s pitcher, Aldrich explained. He said the Liberty pitcher controlled the ball well and threw accurate, fast pitches, preventing the Broncos from hitting or making offensive plays.

The days off for spring break affected the team’s consistency on defense as they made fielding and throwing errors, said Aldrich. The Lancers took advantage of the errors and were quick to steal bases.

After throwing 69 pitches, Camden Smith relieved Frederick in the fifth inning. Aldrich said they pulled Fredrick so he could pitch in the upcoming game against Davenport on April 11.

Smith pitched well and only allowed Liberty two hits and two walks, said Aldrich.

Liberty continued to hit the ball well and gained the lead against the Broncos. The LRS team could not match the pitcher’s speed as he struck out 16 batters during the game, said Aldrich.

Despite the overall lack of contact with the ball, Smith claimed a double, Bryce Hansen went two for two, Cole Cameron went one for three with one RBI, and Frederick claimed one RBI.

Aldrich said the team also had difficulty executing plays on offense, which prevented them from stealing bases and scoring runs. He stated the cold weather also did not benefit the team at the plate and the athletes could not adjust to the conditions to accurately hit the ball.

Liberty claimed the win 7-2 in the first game.

For the second game Aldrich said the team knew what to expect from the pitcher, but he looked to the team to clean up their defensive game.

Hansen began pitching in the second game. Aldrich said his pitches were wild at times but overall he threw the ball well. In the three innings he pitched, Hansen had five strikeouts, three walks, two hits, two hits by pitch and six runs for Liberty.

The team continued to make fielding errors as Liberty scored runs to earn the lead. Aldrich said the team struggled to catch the ball in the third inning and they also had trouble fielding.

The Lancers made solid contact with the ball claiming five hits, two extra bases a double and a triple. Aldrich said Liberty also used the fielding errors to their advantage and scored six runs in the inning to pull further in the lead.

The Liberty hitters were relentless at the plate as they pressured the Broncos defense by executing their short game and taking advantage of LRS team errors, he explained.

Aldrich said the Broncos could not adjust to the pitcher’s speed throughout the game as he struck out nine batters to claim 25 strikeouts in the two games. Kyle Gimmaka, Chandler Widman and Smith had one single, Spencer Miller and Bryce Kelly both had a double, and Frederick claimed the team’s only RBI.

After a tough fight, the Broncos fell to Liberty 14-1 in the second game.

Despite the losses, Adlrich said he is pleased with how the pitchers performed and he looks forward to working to reduce errors. As the season progresses, he said the team is making strides towards improvement by incorporating game situations into practice.

Their main focus in practice will be consistency on defense, he explained. Being mentally prepared for a game is crucial for baseball, said Aldrich. His goal for this season is to improve the athlete’s mental game and also their hitting to prevent strikeouts.

The Broncos will face Colfax for a league doubleheader on Friday, April 14, in Ritzville.

Aldrich said he expects Colfax to be strong competitors and fight hard for the win. He anticipates the LRS team to play well after a week of improving in practice.