Lady Broncos prepare for first round of District Tournament

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Lady Broncos are gearing up for the post season after a doubleheader victory over Tekoa-Rosalia (TR).

The team hosted TR for the last home league game of the season on Tuesday, April 25.

Head Coach Todd O’Brien said the Lady Broncos lacked energy at the start of the game and were hesitant when up to bat.

With the lack of contact at the plate, O’Brien said he expected the team to showcase strong defense to prevent TR from earning an early lead.

He said the Lady Broncos did not disappoint, as they were quick to make plays and had no errors on defense. The Lady Broncos displayed improvement in fundamentals as they dove for ground balls and had accurate throws to the bases to earn outs.

Tessa O’Brien had a busy day at shortstop taking part in nine of the 21 outs, said O’Brien.

He stated walking batters continues to be an issue for the team’s pitchers and they will strive for improvement in practice this week.

The team increased the intensity in the fifth inning as they made solid contact with the ball to claim eight hits. The powerful offense allowed the team to score 10 runs in the inning to take a 14 -7 lead against the Lady Timberwolves.

Tessa had three singles, Emily Rosen claimed two, and Hannah Brittain and Alisha Baker each had one. Emily Kinney had a double and a single, while Emma Aldrich hit a single and a triple.

O’Brien said Miller contributed to the team’s lead in the fifth inning with a single and a double, which resulted in three RBIs.

“We broke things open in the fifth which helped our moral mindset to finish strong,” said O’Brien.

The LRS team secured the win in the sixth inning by scoring four runs and winning 18-10.

O’Brien said the team remained strong on defense in the second game as they were quick to earn an early lead.

The Lady Broncos showcased powerful hitting at the plate and made solid contact with the ball, said O’Brien. He added hitting has become one of the team’s strengths and they have been consistent on offense this season.

The team had 13 hits during the game and made instinctive runs on the bases to claim six extra base hits. O’Brien said Rosen earned two base hits by hitting a double and a triple along with two RBIs.

During the game Miller had three singles and Brittain claimed one. Tessa and Kinney claimed a single and a double. Alarah Pierce-Pulliam extended her current hitting streak to 12 games by going two for three with three RBIs.

Aldrich contributed to the team’s hits by claiming a double while Rosen hit a double and a triple.

Freshman Cailey Vallone pitched the second game and as a young pitcher, O’Brien said he is pleased with her performance on the mound by only walking two batters and giving up five hits.

The LRS team claimed the win in four innings with a score of 17-5.

O’Brien said he is glad to see what they have been working on in practice be applied in games.

The Lady Broncos JV team had an opportunity to compete against Moses Lake to prevent a long layoff between the end of the season and the first round Districts.

The Lady Broncos competed strong, taking the lead in the sixth inning and preventing the Lady Chiefs from scoring in the top of the seventh inning with a solid defense, he explained.

After a tough fight, the LRS team won the game 9-7.

O’Brien said he is pleased with how the team as competed this season as they have reached one of their goals of advancing to the first round of the District Tournament.

As they begin the post season, O’Brien said he expects the teams competing in the tournament to play tough and smart in order to advance. With 11 teams competing for four spots, he said the Lady Broncos will need to play strong and aggressive if they want to advance.

Despite the nerves going into the post season, O’Brien said the Lady Broncos have acquired the skills to compete with any team in the league.

To prepare for districts, O’Brien said the team will focus on fundamentals, as well as practice live pitching to batters and reducing errors on defense.

The Lady Broncos travel to Creston on Thursday, May 4, for a non-league doubleheader with the Lady Wildcats before hosting the first round of the playoffs on Tuesday, May 9.

O’Brien said Wilbur-Creston’s pitcher has displayed strong and accurate throws in previous games.

He said the team will need to have quick hands at the plate in order to be successful on offense.

The Lady Broncos finished 9-1 and in first place in the south division of the Northeast 2B league.

On May 9, Mary Walker will play TR at 3 p.m. in Ritzville and the Lady Broncos will take on the winner in the second game starting at 5 p.m.