Lady Warriors pick up first conference win of the season

In one of their final home games for the season, the Worland Lady Warriors softball team notched their first conference win last week at Newell Sargent Park in Worland.

Playing the Green River Lady Wolves on May 3, the Lady Warriors beat the Lady Wolves 12-7. The bats of Molly Glanz and Oakley Voyles helped power Worland to the conference victory. Voyles had three hits and two RBIs, and Glanz had two hits and four RBIs.

WHS softball coach Tim Barrus missed last week's final home games due to attending his daughter's college graduation ceremony. But after talking with his assistants, Dave Coronado and Charity Glanz, he was thrilled with how the team played. 

"My assistants gave me a rundown of how things went, good and bad," said Barrus. "Green River, the good thing was pulling out a conference win. They mercy-ruled the Green River JV, and some of our varsity players were in that game, and that carried over to the conference game. Oakley Voyles has struggled with her bat, but she went 2 for 3 in that game. They were able to string together hits, and the energy was up, and they were excited."

Worland lost the non-conference game to Green River 19-7. In the game against Green River, Worland lost Kate Gallinger to injury, which would impact Worland's next game, as she was the team's No. 2 pitcher.

Playing Rock Springs on senior night on May 4, Worland couldn't find the same success at the plate as the night before, losing the doubleheader 17-0 and 12-0.

Without Gallinger, Worland had to turn to new arms to help the team. Kelsi Smith stepped up for the team. While things did not go exactly as planned, Smith battled through in her first varsity game pitching in relief.

"We lost Kate in that Green River game, and we rely on the second pitching boost she provides. Kelsi Smith stepped in for us and really gave it her best shot. It was a good experience for her, and that was her first time pitching a varsity game," said Barrus.

This week is the final week of the season for Worland. Tuesday they played Cody, losing 16-1, and on Friday to close out the season in Casper against Kelly Walsh at 2 p.m. 

Wrapping up the season with a couple of wins would be a great send-off for the Worland seniors and a good building block for next season's returning players.

"We've got a couple of wins now, and I'm hoping we can keep the confidence up. They've shown they can hit and play hard. I was really proud of them in that Green River game.

"The pressure is off of us. We want to use this as a learning experience, have fun and end on a good note. I think the girls will find that success, and we'll try to end the season with a couple of wins. Each year, they get better, and I'm looking for good things to happen," said Barrus.