WV softball has flurry of games in the first week of the season

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West Valley pitcher Cassidy Olsen kept Red Bluff scoreless for the first nine innings of the game on Tuesday. Red Bluff came back in the tenth inning to score three.

The West Valley Eagles varisty softball team had a fast and furious week filled with five games, starting with a 0-3 loss to Red Bluff and ending with a 8-4 win against Wheatland on Saturday in a Pleasant Valley Tournament.

The West Valley softball team held a powerful Red Bluff team in check for more than nine-innings during their first game on Tuesday. But three Red Bluff runs in the tenth inning allowed them to finish ahead of the Eagles in the tight defensive battle.

West Valley's pitcher Cassidy Olsen, who helped bring her team the section title last year, pitched for all 10 innings of the game and held Red Bluff scoreless until the final inning.

"Defensively we looked great," said West Valley coach Lupe Cordova.

But offensively the girls couldn't connect with the ball, mainly because the Eagles faced two of the leagues best pitchers during their first two games of the season.

Red Bluff put in their best pitcher, senior Kayla McConnell. She kept the Eagles scoreless throughout the game. Then Sutter put in their best pitcher against the Eagles as well.

Coach Cordova said it was a difficult way to break his young team in offensively.

"It was just a tough two games," he said.

"We are young. We have four returners with varsity experience. We have to learn what it's like to play at this level," said coach Cordova.

Cordova planned to "hit, hit, hit" during practices last week, but said the only true way to get his team to hit the ball was by batting at the games.

"The only thing that is going to get them to improve is experience and getting the feel," he said. "It's two different things hitting in practice and hitting in the games."