Lady Warriors drop opener against Cody

WORLAND - The first softball game in Worland High School history did not go as planned for the Lady Warriors, as they lost 9-0 to Cody on March 26 at Newell Sargent Park.

While the Lady Warriors' season-opening game in their inaugural season ended with a loss, WHS softball coach Crystal Redding thought her team played well once they battled through first-game nerves.

"I told the girls, I honestly thought they played great. It was the first-game jitters, the nerves, especially being at home with a big crowd. They played well and hustled for every ball. Carmyn [Buckman] was a wall behind the plate, Brooke Wright made phenomenal catches. I was really proud of the girls. Being a part of history was cool, and I let them know how proud of them I was," said Redding.

The turnout for the Lady Warriors first game was excellent as the bleachers were packed with Worland and Cody fans, and spectators lined the fence line to take in the first Wyoming high school softball game in history.

"It was great, and it was awesome," said Redding about the turnout for the game. "I think that made them a little nervous, but it was great, and I was happy to see so many people watch our game."

Vivian Hawkins picked up the first hit in program history; the senior's hit was also the lone hit of the game for Worland.

Worland's bats struggled in their first outing, but there were times the Lady Warriors connected well and sent a shot, only for Cody's defense to make an excellent play.

"We had some really great hits. Kudos to [Cody's] first baseman and centerfielder because they played with us in the fall and just made some excellent plays against us. They're great girls too, and they're good players. I told Carmyn after one of those plays that it was a great hit, and she made her work for that catch. That's all you can ask for," said Redding.

The Cody Fillies roster consisted of sophomores and freshmen. And while that added to the disappointment of the loss, Redding knows her team can play better and is thankful this game didn't count toward the conference record.

This was the first of three matchups against Cody, and the next two will count toward conference play.

"I told them to look at it like a practice game. This won't count toward our conference record, and it was basically a scrimmage. Now we know what we need to work on and focus on," said Redding. "The talent is there, the girls are so talented they just need to find their groove."

The Lady Warriors next game is at home on April 9 against Rock Springs. This gives the team the rest of spring break and more to prepare and iron out the wrinkles before taking on the Lady Tigers.

"We'll work on fielding, some of our throws and the tosses - the little tosses to second when there's a hit toward short just the little things like that. I'll move some people around and try some other things out. That's what this first game did for me, it let me know the adjustments I need to make for Rock Springs and Green River," said Redding.