When the Lowry High School softball team took to its home field Friday against Dayton, it looked like a squad that was on spring break and had been stuck in a gym to practice due to poor weather.
The Buckaroos committed 10 errors in the series opener against the Dust Devils and saw their seven game winning streak come to an end with a 5-3 loss.
"Every run they scored we gave to them," said LHS coach Ty Lucas. "That was on us and maybe as coaches we need to do a better job of getting them ready. We are an experienced enough team not to make that many errors. We just can't let a mistake get us down and take the focus away. The girls are still trying to do to much."
Lowry (9-4 overall, 8-1 Division I-A North) shook off the defeat from Friday and used two strong pitching performances from Alyssa Dendary to sweep Dayton 1-0 and 3-2 on Saturday.
"We came in with a much better mindset and good attitude," Lucas said. "We came out a lot more confidence and it showed. Alyssa set the tome in the first game and we went with the hot hand and were going to ride her out until they got to her. She stayed strong all the way. To throw two complete games, shows the progress she has made. It was much better effort all the way around from everyone."
In Friday's opener, the Buckaroos jumped on to the board in the first inning on a double by Ere Higbee and a single from Kylee McClellan, but didn't have another batter reach base until the fourth inning.
The Dust Devils claimed the advantage in the top of the third inning, with three runs on just one hit. After the lead off batter was hit by a pitch, Lowry committed three errors in the frame, leading to the three unearned runs.
Three more errors led to Dayton scoring twice more in the fifth inning to build a 5-1 lead.
The Buckaroos rallied in the bottom of the sixth, as Shelby McKinnon led off by reaching base on an error. Dendary followed with a bunt single to put runners on first and third base with no outs. A ground ball out by Higbee and sacrifice fly by McClellan scored McKinnon and Dendary, respectively, but the rally ended with a strikeout.
Lowry was able to put two runners on base in the seventh, only to see that rally fizzle as well. The Buckaroos out hit the Dust Devils four to three, but the 10 errors proved to be costly.
Taylor Schwartz took the loss in the complete-game effort. The junior struck out eight and walked two. Dendary, Higbee, McClellan and Schwartz each had a base hit.
The first game of Saturday's doubleheader turned into a pitching duel, as Lowry's Dendary and Dayton Kayla Shadle proved tough to hit. Dendary scattered three hits and three walks throughout her seven innings of work. A day after committing 10 errors, the Buckaroos were perfect in the field.
The lone run of the contest came in the fifth inning, as Lexie Coleman led off with a single. Jaecee Munger followed with a sacrifice bunt that moved Ashlee Barron all the way over to third base. Barron was pinch running for Coleman. Alyssa Jones followed with a bloop single, behind second base to knock in Barron.
Dendary allowed a walk and single in the sixth and seventh innings, but Dayton could not produce a run.
"Everyone did their job," Lucas said. "We get a base hit from Lexie and have the luxury of putting a quick runner in. Jaecee gets the bunt down and Alyssa gets us a base hit."
Dendary and Shadle went back to work in the nightcap and both teams had trouble scoring once again. Lowry grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning, after Higbee led off with a single and she was doubled home by Schwartz.
The game remained at 1-0 until the fifth, when the Buckaroos picked up two insurance runs, which proved to be big in the end. The top of the order did the damage once again, as Higbee was hit by a pitch and McKinnon reached on a single. McClellan followed with a two-RBI single to put Lowry up 3-0. The junior had two of Lowry's five hits.
After pitching 13 scoreless innings, Dendary gave up two hits and two runs in the seventh, but Lowry was able to close out the game on a ground ball to Higbee.
The Buckaroos will be on the road this weekend at South Tahoe. The two teams play Friday at 3 p.m. and a doubleheader Saturday at 11 a.m.
"We are going to be on the road for the next two weeks," Lucas said. "We have to be mentally prepared to get on the bus and play hard right from the start. We can't afford any let downs. Right now, we have to go out and win every game we play to hopefully, get us a good spot in the playoffs."[[In-content Ad]]
