The Spanish Springs softball team was the runner-up in Reed’s Easter weekend tournament a season ago. They may not get the opportunity to get to the championship game again this year.
After winning their first two games of pool play on Friday morning at Shadow Mountain Park, edging a good Newark Memorial team, 2-1, and disposing of North Valleys, 16-0, the Cougs (4-2) fell to Shasta 5-4.
With a 2-1 record in pool play, they will need some help to advance to the No. 1 bracket on Saturday. Coach Jeff Davidson, however, said he doesn’t care what bracket his team ends up in.
“I don’t really care about what bracket (we’re) in,” he said. “We’re playing a lot of players this whole tournament, it really doesn’t matter to me. The only thing I care about, what I told the team, is I want them to compete. And we did compete well in the first game and we even competed in the third game, we had our opportunity.”
In the last inning of the loss to Shasta, the Cougs had the tying run on first base with one out. Hayley Fein floated a base hit into left field but a base-running blunder led to a force out at second.
Sophomore Lanessa Romo then ripped a line drive deep to center but the Wolves’ centerfielder made a play on the ball at the fence, ending the time-shortened contest.
“There’s no excuse. We made a mental mistake,” Davidson said. “We had an opportunity in the last inning to win. All you can ask is for that opportunity. And we just didn’t capitalize on it.”
The Cougars will play Saturday at either 9 a.m. or 1 p.m., depending on what happens in the rest of their pool.
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