Tuesday’s game did nothing to dampen the spirits of sophomore pitcher Kaycee Wilke.
Wilke and her Warrior softball teammates traveled to Long Beach City, losing to the potential playoff bound Vikings 10-0.
“(Playing softball) is still fun for me. I don’t know if everyone feels the same way,” Wilke said. “I can’t really do anything about it except go out and play.”
While Wilke was on the mound, she allowed 11 hits, most coming with two outs in the inning and a chance to put the Vikings away.
An error by freshman shortstop Yaneth Garcia in the bottom of the second inning allowed the Vikings to put multiple runners on base for the first time of the game.
Long Beach would score three runs that inning and five more in the fourth inning after another Garcia error.
“Nobody tries to make errors,” coach Susie Calderon said. “This entire team does the best it can. Nobody likes to lose.”
The loss dropped the Warriors to 6-24 overall and 0-9 in South Coast Conference play, while the Vikings improved to 26-9 and 8-4.
The Warriors’ defense committed three errors total, resulting in seven unearned Viking runs.
The game was called after 4 « innings as the Vikings scored two runs in the first inning, getting on base early with a bunt single by Viking sophomore Karina Martinez. Martinez finished the game with two hits and one RBI while scoring twice.
“(Long Beach) is in fourth place, they are looking at a playoff spot,” Calderon said. “They can’t really mess around, but we made some costly mistakes (Tuesday).”
Each game, the Warriors bring just nine players, meaning playing time is not up for question.
Freshman outfielder Brittany Vedenoff is the only Warrior currently playing through injuries. A sore back and a pulled quad muscle bother Vedenoff. She plays through the pain for one reason: love of the game.
“Some days I can barely walk,” Vedenoff. “I go to the trainers daily to get worked on to try to push through the pain.”
The Warriors travel to Pasadena City College today, facing the Lancers (16-15, 6-12) at 3 p.m.
“I feel good going up against Pasadena,” Calderon said. “I think we have a shot.”
This season, the Warriors have squared off against the Lancers losing both times by scores of 5-3 and 10-3.
“We play good games against Pasadena,” Calderon said. “(Our defense) has one inning where it falls apart and we can’t catch up.”
After tomorrow’s game at Pasadena, the Warriors have three games remaining, traveling to Cerritos on Tuesday before hosting Mt. San Antonio College (April 16) and East L.A. (April 21) to end the season.
“It sucks that it is the end of the season,” Vedenoff said.
“We are finally getting into the groove of how our opponents are pitching.”
Despite the season being close to an end, Calderon continues to stress the fundamentals of the sport to her team, especially during practice.
“We are going to keep working on hitting,” Calderon said. “We can’t get fancy, we need to keep them motivated.”
In Tuesday’s contest, Viking sophomore pitcher Christine Gonzalez held the Warriors to two hits while only striking out two batters.
Gonzalez struck out five Warriors while allowing just two hits in her March 3 victory over the Warriors at Long Beach.
Despite the losing record, Vedenoff still plays the game as it should be.
“I could care less if we are winning or losing. I love being with the team,” Vedenoff said.
“I am playing the sport I love.”
