Every team makes mistakes on the softball field. Errors are a
part of the game.
Putting those mistakes out of mind is a key to making the next
play, winning the next game. Good teams rebound from their erring
ways.
After jumping out to a 5-2 start, Woodland Park softball lost
three close games last week. Errors played a part in each of the
defeats, just like they do for many teams in the midst of a losing
streak.
“We need to go out and play errorless ball,” sophomore Alex
Huntington said after a 10-7 loss at 5A Sand Creek on Sept. 5.
“They’re (Sand Creek) really not a better team than us, it’s just
they didn’t make errors and we did.”
Huntington started on the mound in the loss, pitching her first
game this season. Her three innings of work gave senior Amber
Williams a break after a long weekend tournament. Williams took the
mound in the fourth inning.
Both Panthers pitched well, but the team’s four errors allowed
Sand Creek climb back in the game. Woodland Park took an early 6-0
lead before the Scorpions scored four runs in the third inning and
five in the sixth.
Huntington stood by her pitching performance, as well as that of
Williams, after the loss.
“It’s hard because you put it on yourself, but it really isn’t
you,” Huntington said. “As a pitcher, what you need to focus on is
where they’re hitting the ball, if it’s on the ground and how many
walks you have.”
Returning home on Sept. 6, Woodland Park held a 4-3 lead on 5A
Palmer in the seventh inning. The Terrors tied the game and then
added three runs in the eighth to steal a 7-4 victory. The Panthers
committed seven errors in the loss.
“We just have to go on with business,” coach Josh Jacobs said.
“Softball is a game where the team that makes all the plays is
typically going to win.”
Woodland Park received a stellar pitching performance from
Williams against visiting Fountain-Fort Carson on Sept. 7. She gave
up one hit, no earned runs and struck out 12 Trojans in a complete
game.
But the Panthers gave up two unearned runs, one to break a 1-1
tie in the seventh inning, on three errors. League rival Fountain
held on for a 2-1 win.
Despite the tough losses, Woodland Park is still on track to
have a break out season. The team surpassed its RBI total from 2005
in its eighth game of 2006 at Sand Creek.
“It’s all about confidence,” Huntington said. “We’re feeling
pretty good. We just need to make sure we keep up the intensity and
keep pushing to win games.”
With nothing but league games left on their schedule, the
Panthers must overcome their recent losses. Jacobs is confident in
his players, and knows the team will work through the
skid.
“They’re meeting my expectations,” Jacobs said of his players.
“They’re going above and beyond. They work hard, they do the things
they need to do to get the job done. We play well as a
team.
“It’s just continuing to learn, continuing to work hard and do
the best they can every time they step on the field,” he said.