Broncos gear up for final regular season, league games

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos baseball team is striving to make improvements as they competed in two doubleheaders. The team claimed non-league wins against Davenport and suffered losses to Colfax.

Head Coach Jason Aldrich said the team is making strides towards improvement, but basic fundamental errors continue to affect the Broncos’ ability to claim wins.

The team traveled to Davenport on Tuesday, April 11, for a non-league doubleheader.

Going into the game, Aldrich said he anticipated the Broncos’ earning the win due to their advanced skill level. He said the team approached the game with confidence and understood the importance of being competitive even in non-league games.

As starting pitcher, Aldrich said Garrett Frederick pitched well as he claimed four strikeouts, walked five batters, allowed two hits and no earned runs during his time on the mound.

Aldrich said the team made contact with the ball and were quick to steal bases to score runs. He stated some of the highlights from the game were Gimmaka claiming a double and two RBIs, Frederick hitting a single and Miller having two hits.

He stated a majority of the scoring occurred early in the game as the teams played strong defense to prevent scoring.

Bryce Kelly came in for relief in the fourth inning and finished the first game on the mound. He struck out three batters, walked five and allowed two hits.

Gimmaka’s performance in the top of the fifth inning changed the game for the Broncos, said Aldrich. After the Broncos claimed the lead they remained strong on defense and prevented the Gorillas from scoring additional runs.

The Broncos claimed the first win 7-6.

For the second game, Aldrich said Bryce Hansen began pitching for the Broncos. During his time on the mound, Hansen claimed three strikeouts, five walks, three hits and allowed one earned run.

Aldrich said the Broncos were quick to earn outs in the second game, as their throwing and fielding abilities showcased improvement.

The Broncos continued to make contact with the ball as they remained in the lead through the first three innings. Camden Smith then came in to relieve Hansen in the fourth inning.

Aldrich said the change in pitching styles caught Davenport off guard at the plate as they began to struggle to hit the ball. Smith struck out two batters, had no walks, threw two hits and did not allow any earned runs in the two innings he pitched.

The Broncos claimed seven hits during the game as Gimmaka went one for three with a double, Chandler Widman and Hansen had a single, Kelly went two for three with a double, and Patrick Bartz had two safeties.

Aldrich said the second game ended in five innings due to darkness and the team claimed a second win with the score 9-5.

The pitchers continue to impress as Aldrich said they are making constant improvements.

On Friday, April 14, the Broncos hosted Colfax in a league doubleheader. Aldrich said Colfax is a solid team and he expected it to be a tough game.

Starting at the mound for the Broncos, Aldrich said the speed of Frederick’s pitches were easy to hit for Colfax as they claimed 16 hits in four innings.

By the end of the first inning, Aldrich said Frederick had thrown 42 pitches and faced 14 batters. Despite the high number of pitches, he stated Frederick remained strong on the mound and did not begin walking batters until late in the line up.

Colfax continued to make solid contact with the ball and increased the lead as they were ahead 14-0 going into the second inning.

Aldrich said with strong hitting teams like Colfax, it is important for pitchers to change up the speed of their pitches to make it more difficult to hit. He said Frederick consistently threw strikes, which made it easy for Colfax to drive the ball to the outfield every time.

On offense, Aldrich said the Broncos could not adjust to the speed of Colfax’s pitches. Hansen claimed the only hit of the game with one double.

The Broncos fell to Colfax 0-18 in four innings of the first game.

In the second game, the Broncos continued to struggle to hit the ball and did not claim any hits.

The Colfax pitcher went on to pitch a perfect game in the second contest of the doubleheader. Aldrich said the Broncos could not keep up with the pitcher’s speed, which prevented them from scoring earned runs.

Hansen started as pitcher for the Broncos in the second game and Aldrich said the Bulldogs continued to have powerful hits to the outfield. He stated the team struggled on defense as fielding and throwing errors prevented them from claiming outs.

By the end of the second inning, the Bulldogs led 9-0. Aldrich said Colfax displayed strong respectful sportsmanship as they stopped stealing bases once they had a substantial lead.

Smith relieved Hansen in the third inning after his arm became sore. Aldrich said Smith finished the game well at the mound and made it more difficult for the Bulldogs to hit balls to the outfield.

The Broncos could not adjust to the speed of the pitches to make contact with the ball and suffered a second loss 0-18.

Aldrich said the loss is disappointing but as an elite team, he expects Colfax to continue to be successful this season. He anticipates the team to be a contender for the State Tournament due to their lack of weaknesses.

The Broncos will work towards improvement on hitting and reducing the number of fielding errors to prepare for the league doubleheader against Mary Walker on April 18.

The team will travel to Spokane to face St. George’s for a non-league game on Saturday, April 22. Aldrich said a win against St. George’s would be a significant success for the team and he expects it to be a tough game.

As third in the division, he stated St. George’s roster contains strong pitchers and the Broncos will need to have quick hands at the plate to earn the win.

The Broncos host Tekoa-Rosalia for the final league game on April 25.