Lady Broncos fall to Davenport, claim league wins against Colfax

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Lady Broncos are approaching the end of the league season after competing in two doubleheaders against Davenport and Colfax.

The team began their week by traveling to Davenport on Tuesday, April 11, to face the Lady Gorillas in a non-league doubleheader.

Head Coach Todd O’Brien said the team began the game slow and struggled to make contact with the ball. Davenport took advantage of the Lady Broncos’ lack of energy to earn an early lead, he added.

O’Brien said despite having difficulty hitting the ball, the Lady Broncos played well on defense and were quick to make three outs. Emma Aldrich pitched well on the mound but struggled to throw consistent strikes as she began walking batters in the second inning.

In the bottom of the second, O’Brien said the LRS team allowed Davenport to score eight runs. He said the inning proved to be a game changer for Davenport and they continued to make solid contact with the ball on offense.

On defense, the Lady Gorillas were quick to make plays and they only allowed the Lady Broncos to score one run in the game.

During the game Alarah Pierce-Pulliam had two singles while Tessa O’Brien, Emily Rosen, Emily Kinney, Aldrich and Alisha Baker all claimed one single. O’Brien said the lack of hits surprised him as he believes the Lady Broncos should have been able to compete better with the Lady Gorillas due to the similar skill levels.

The Lady Broncos fell to Davenport 1-11 in the first game.

For the second game, O’Brien said the LRS team started off slow at the plate and remained hesitant to hit the ball. This allowed the Lady Gorillas to claim another early lead.

As the two teams battled throughout the beginning of the game, O’Brien said the LRS team’s increased the intensity on offense and defense.

The tempo of the game changed in the sixth inning as the LRS team began making contact with the ball, he explained. The Lady Broncos scored nine runs off nine hits to take a four run lead into the bottom half of the inning, stated O’Brien.

Jessa Hoeft and Kinney each hit a single, Pierce-Pulliam had two singles and Tessa claimed three. Rosen, Cailey Vallone and Baker each hit a double, and Aldrich claimed one single and a triple.

He said the Lady Broncos were quick to make three outs on defense, which prevented the Lady Gorillas from scoring and allowed them to remain ahead into the seventh inning.

In the bottom of the seventh, O’Brien said the Lady Broncos were quick to throw the first two batters out in an attempt to remain in the lead. After pitching two games, Aldrich walked four batters and had one hit by pitch, which allowed Davenport to load the bases.

O’Brien said the team lost their chance to claim the win due to fielding errors as the Lady Gorillas ended the game by winning 13-12.

O’Brien said it is important the team continues to make routine plays until the end of the game. He explained the team had four opportunities to win the game on defensive plays but the Lady Broncos could not finish strong.

He stated, “It’s difficult to lose a game in this manner, but it prepares us for the future to play with some pressure. I see it as a learning opportunity.”

The Lady Broncos returned home to host the Colfax Lady Bulldogs on Friday, April 14, in a league doubleheader.

O’Brien said he looked forward to the game because of the similar skill levels of the two teams and he expected the games to be close. After they competed in the state tournament in 2016, he anticipated Colfax to be solid hitters and quick to make plays.

The first game was a nail biter, as the difference in score never exceeded more than two runs after each inning, said O’Brien.

The Lady Broncos were patient at the plate and made solid contact with the ball, making it difficult for Colfax to field, he explained. During the game Rosen, Miller and Baker each hit one single and Kinney claimed two. Hannah Brittain claimed a single and a double and Pierce-Pulliam hit a single and a triple.

O’Brien said the LRS team gave up four runs in the top of the sixth inning due to fielding and throwing errors. Once on offense, the Lady Broncos were determined to narrow the scoring gap as they scored five runs to tie the game at the end of the sixth inning.

The teams continued to battle for the lead in the seventh inning and it resulted in a tie, forcing them to play an eighth inning, said O’Brien.

Colfax scored two runs early to gain the lead and the Lady Broncos played strong defense, he added. The LRS team began their turn on offense by hitting a single, allowing a runner on base.

The Colfax pitcher then walked two batters to tie the game. After a pitching change, Colfax walked a third batter to allow the Lady Broncos to earn the win by one point, 12-11.

In the second game the Lady Broncos began the first inning by scoring eight runs on five hits and four walks. O’Brien said the team picked up the intensity as they made solid contact with the ball and had fast hands at the plate.

Kinney displayed powerful hitting as she was one double away from hitting a cycle with a single, a triple and a homerun. Rosen, Baker, Kaylee Pavone and Brittain each hit a single, Pierce-Pulliam claimed four singles while Tessa and Aldrich each had two, and Miller claimed a single and a double.

O’Brien said Pierce-Pulliam continued to be a powerful hitter, which is evident by an eight game hitting streak. Rosen is also displaying consistent contact and is currently in the middle of a 10 game hitting streak.

Overall, the team had 17 hits in the second game.

The team continued to showcase strong hitting as they claimed the win in four innings with a score of 19-7, said O’Brien.

He said the game proved to be the best hitting performance of the year and he is proud with how the athletes performed.

O’Brien stated the Lady Broncos are currently sitting as No. 1 in the south NorthEast 2B League with a standing record of 7-1 in the division. There is only one league doubleheader remaining against Tekoa-Rosalia.

He said the team will continue to improve their fundamentals on defense and offense, as well as remaining mentally strong throughout the entire game.

The Lady Broncos played Mary Walker in a non-league doubleheader on Tuesday, April 18.