Coming off of a three game loss, the Boise State softball team is looking to secure a few wins to break their losing streak. So far this season, the Broncos have not been doing their best with 5-12 overall, and 0-3 in the Mountain West Conference.
After a canceled tournament, the Broncos hope to regain rhythm as they take on the Brigham Young (BYU) Cougars and the Southern Utah Thunderbirds in a three set series. The Broncos played two games against the Cougars on Friday, March 26 and one game against the Thunderbirds on Saturday, March 27.
Thus far, the Broncos are first in the Mountain West with the best fielding percentage of .980, but are struggling with both batting average (AVG) and earned run average (ERA). The Broncos are eighth in hits with a .214 AVG, and an ERA of 3.88 which sets them as fifth in the Mountain West.
The first game against BYU was tough, but the Broncos rallied and came out on top winning 6-4. Kelsey Lalor hit a home run in the second inning to tie the game at 1-1.
The Broncos went up 3-1 in the third inning, with two RBI singles by Ashlyn Adams, allowing Autumn Bennett and Karlee Johnson to score. Adams led the team with a batting average of .429, and went three for seven. She had one run and two RBI’s.
“Game one was a huge team win,” said Head Coach Maggie Huffaker. “We found a way to stick together and get it done. We played great defense, pitched well and had a couple great pinch hits from India Kelly and Bobbiann Pratt. In game two, we just didn’t make adjustments quick enough but did a nice job continuing to fight till the last out. I was pleased with Taylor Caudill coming in to throw some quality relief innings.”
In the second game against BYU, the Broncos came up short and lost 1-4. The Broncos left five runners stranded on base and batted for an average of .111. They had a few errors, which ultimately cost them some runs.
The Broncos finally had an opportunity in the sixth inning to score a few runs, but unfortunately were unable to capitalize on the momentum. Adams was able to score by a passed ball at the plate while Lalor was at bat in the same inning.
With this game split against BYU, the Broncos improved to 6-11 overall on the season.
The Broncos took the win against the Thunderbirds. The Bronco women allowed one hit and no runs as the Thunderbirds took the 3-0 loss. Both teams hit a combined number of three hits total.
Taylor Caudill led the Broncos by striking out 12 out of the 24 batters she faced. This is Caudill’s second win of her collegiate career.
Bobbiann Pratt, freshman infielder, hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning to get on the board for the Broncos. This was Pratt’s second collegiate hit and her first home run as a Bronco.
“Bobbi (Pratt) with the blast for the eventual game winner was so fun to watch as well. I’m excited for our freshmen learning and finding ways to get it done,” Maggie Huffaker said.
With the two wins and a loss on the weekend, the Broncos record now lies at 7-11. The Broncos will continue to try and improve their record in the following weeks.
