Wildfires knocked out by Riverton in home tournament

Hosting their annual home softball tournament on June 24-25, the Worland Wildfires 18U split in pool play and dropped their game against Riverton in bracket play.

After beating Riverton 10-0 on Saturday, the Wildfires could not get their bats going during the single elimination bracket play and fell to Riverton 12-4.

The Wildfires defense kept them within striking distance for much of the game, but in the final inning of play, a grand slam sealed the victory for Riverton.

"I liked our defense," said Wildfires 18U coach Dave Coronado. "We only had three errors, which is good because you can compete with that. The girls had trouble with the rise ball. We only had four hits that game. Then they started to hit Keeley [Christiansen], who battled all game in that last inning. All of those things ended up being the difference."

The Wildfires were missing Rally Moreno for their Sunday game against Riverton. Moreno was one of the key contributors in Worland's win over Riverton on Saturday.

Ivey Roberts was one of Worland's best players for the two-day tournament as she found a way on base with a hit or drawing a walk.

"They beat Riverton 10-0 on Saturday, and every aspect of our game was on. We had nine hits in that first game against them but came back the next day and only got four," said Coronado. "Having Rally gone was big because she was hitting the ball really well. Ivey was the most consistent throughout the weekend. She was 5-7 and drew four walks. She hit the ball consistently all tournament."

Worland's other pool play game was against Jackson, which they lost 12-3.

The Wildfire's next game is this Thursday against Lovell at 6 p.m.

Practice this week for the Wildfires will focus on building chemistry in the field and improving at the plate.

The rise ball pitch, a pitch thrown with an upward trajectory and backspin to impart a rising motion, has given the Wildfires some headaches. Attacking the rise ball, the Wildfires must be mindful of the count because it's often used as a punchout pitch.

"We'll be working a lot on the pitch machine. We have just the eight girls, but we may add a few Lovell girls to our team. We'll work on meshing together and finding the right combinations.

"Even during the high school season, they struggled with that rise. We need to either lay off it or moderate our swing. The best way to hit that pitch is to know the pitch count and to stand tall. If there are two strikes, I'd tell them to stand tall and be ready because that's when they would see it," said Coronado.

With more games and reps in practice, Coronado knows his team's confidence will rise at the plate and in the field.

"We'll keep working in the cages and build the confidence to attack that rise ball. We'll keep working the right combinations defensively. We haven't been challenged in the outfield much, but we will be in the next couple of weeks and work toward that, too," said Coronado.