Softball falls in high-scoring, unusual non-league doubleheader

It was another week of play spoiled by weather for the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Lady Broncos softball team, as their league doubleheader against the Reardan Indians scheduled for April 13 was postponed due to rain.

The Lady Broncos did manage to get one doubleheader in last week, a non-league tilt at home against the Mary Walker Chargers on April 9. LRS lost both games on the day, with both games being high-scoring affairs.

The first game of the doubleheader was the highest scoring game all season that LRS has been a part of, losing 14-21 to Mary Walker. A seven-run explosion in the third inning gave the Lady Broncos a 9-3 lead through three innings for LRS. The home team ripped seven hits in the inning, including doubles from sophomores Sadie Miller and Nyleana Bailey.

But Mary Walker answered with a big inning of their own in the fourth inning, scoring eight runs to take an 11-9 lead. LRS responded with three more runs in the bottom of the fourth to retake the lead, and both teams added two more runs in the fifth inning.

Heading into the sixth inning, it was 14-13 Lady Broncos. But Mary Walker continued its offensive barrage in the final two innings of the game, scoring eight more runs while LRS went scoreless.

Senior Lacey Miller had a solid day at the plate for LRS, finishing 2-3 with two doubles and two walks. Freshman Chloe Melton went 3-5 with a double, and fellow freshman Collette Nichols was 3-3 with three singles and two walks.

Head coach Todd O'Brien was pleased with the team's hitting in the game, and said overall his team gave a good effort. "I don't know if our intensity was all there, and we didn't play all that well with a lead. I was hoping we'd do a little better. But it's coming around, and we hit [their pitcher] fairly solid in both games."

The second game of the doubleheader was an interesting one, to be sure. Officially, LRS lost to Mary Walker 13-5 in five innings, with the final two innings not able to be played because of darkness.

However, the game was much closer than the final score indicated. With two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, the game was called off due to darkness. Since the sixth inning was not able to be finished in its entirety, the final score reverted back to what it was at the end of the last completed inning, which was 13-5 after five innings.

With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, the Lady Broncos had two runners on base and had managed to cut the Chargers' lead to 13-10. The potential tying run was actually at bat for LRS, but the game was called by the umpires, saying it was too dark for the game to continue.

O'Brien conceded that it was beginning to get too dark outside, but would have liked to see if the teams could have finished out the inning, with there already being two outs and the fact that Mary Walker's lead had been cut down to just three runs.

Lacey Miller went 4-4 in the game with a double, while Melton went 2-4 with two singles.

O'Brien still doesn't believe he's solved the puzzle of who his starting nine players will be when it gets to crunchtime. With league games against Reardan and Liberty this week, he says defense will be key if they want to win and put themselves in a good position for the playoffs.

The home doubleheader against Reardan was scheduled to be made up on April 16, while the Lady Broncos will go on the road to take on the Liberty Lancers on April 20. The first game of that doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. in Liberty.