The Westside softball team played in the Metro tournament on Thursday Sept. 12, and Friday Sept. 13. The girls made it far last year and but didn’t make it as far as they hoped this year
Westside was ranked #10 in the tournament and played #7 Westview and #1 Millard North.
Coach Mike Leapley explains how he felt the games went, as the girls beat Westview and fell to Millard north.
“We went 1-1 in Metros. Not the outcome we wanted, of course. We got the win against Westview. I think we played well in that game. Everybody was in that game,” Leapley said.
Westside had recently lost to Westview in the Gretna invite, but got them back in Metros with a 5-1 win on Thursday. Junior Manuela Katé talks about the win and how it boosted the spirits of the girls.
“The win against Westview really gave our team hope and even more confidence going forward in the tournament. We have proved to ourselves and our fans that we truly are where we need to be to be the successful team everyone is scared of,” Katé said.
The bats were turned on during the Westview game, as they collected 6 hits as a team. Hitting was a big part of the game but so was pitching. Sophomore Pitcher Kalista Rich pitched the whole game ending with 7 strikeouts over 6 complete innings.
Rich talks about how she benefited the team with being dominate on the mound
“I benefited coming off of a few bad games pitching it got my confidence back up and amped me up for the next couple of tough games,” Rich said.
On Friday, the Warriors played Millard North and took a tough 5-0 loss. Katé explains what it was like to be in the dugout during the game.
“In the dugout during the Millard North game we are always screaming at the top or our lungs for our offense of course and our defense. Keeping the dugout loud during defense is what keeps the dugout going,” Katé said “When we are in the dugout during defense we make sure we communicate if a runner is stealing or not for Hadley Hansen to throw them out and for Emma Kauffman to be ready at second.”
Not only did energy affect the game, but so did errors on the defensive side of things. The girls had 4 errors during the game and it took a toll on the game. Leapley explains how the errors affected them.
“Our biggest problem right now is that we are letting the errors get to us as a team. We are too good of a team to let errors affect our mindset. I feel as a team we are getting better on the field and will continue to improve,” Leapley said.
The softball team has struggled offensively throughout the season, but during the Millard North game especially. Leapley talks about how their bats were needed in the game, and what the girls did to take the win against westview.
“Millard North, we battled. We could not get our bats going. I know we are a better hitting team than what we showed. We have to improve our hitting asap.” Leapley said “The main things that helped us win was our attitude and effort. They wanted it more. We lost to them a couple of weeks ago, and the girls said naw, naw, not today.”
The girls collected only 4 hits as a team during the Millard North game, with a combined .160 batting average as a team they struggled to get runs on the board. Rich talks about how important it is to have backup with the teams hitting especially when they are losing.
“It is very important that we hit especially in games where they’ve scored. if we don’t hit that gives them more and more momentum and just beats us down,” Rich said.
On the bright side, the girls won their first game against Westview and didn’t end up going into the consolation bracket. This win added to their record which is now 6-9. The girls hope to raise their record as the season is halfway through.
Katé talks about what she expects from the team as the season is running to an end.
“I expect the team to keep the energy that we do now. Teams should be scared. No matter if we are winning or not it is a 0-0 game the whole game until the last out. I expect the team to keep it light and to keep moving forward onto the next play because that is what winners do and champions at that,” Katé said.
The season has had many ups and downs, but the girls and Leapley are striving to improve. Leapley talks about what he is expecting for the rest of the season.
“What I expect for the rest of the season is that we Play as a team. Play for the girl next to you. Have the mindset we are a good team. Mistakes will happen, and we move on to the next play,” Leapley said.
The girls returned to action at the Westside invite on Friday Sept. 20 and Saturday Sept. 21.
