UPPER LAKE — A year ago the Upper Lake Cougars were all about offense, the driving force behind a 12-9 record and a berth in the North Coast Section Division V softball playoffs.
On Thursday, the Cougars managed just three hits in a 10-1 non-league loss to Rincon Valley Christian, Upper Lake”s eighth straight setback.
“That”s all we”ve been working on,” Upper Lake coach Kelly Coburn said of the team”s hitting. “We hit off the pitching machine, the tee, soft toss. We”re just struggling.”
Upper Lake trailed 8-0 before Kate Irwin led off the bottom of the fourth with a double. She stole third and scored on Shayla Wyman”s single.
Rincon Valley broke the game open with a five-run top of the second against losing pitcher Vanessa Hanson, who worked two innings before moving behind the plate. Katherine Edmonds relieved and pitched the final five innings, striking out none and walking three. Hanson struck out none and walked two.
Upper Lake (2-8) took the field minus two starters — one out for disciplinary reasons and one because of sickness — forcing Coburn to shuffle her lineup.
Defensive gems included a running catch by Wyman in left field and a sliding catch by Jamie Maddock in center field.
Fielding a young team this year, Coburn said part of her team”s problem is softball maturity.
“I keep telling them we lack softball maturity, not regular maturity,” Coburn said. “We have players who are almost there, just not quite there yet.”
Hanson had the Cougars” other hit.
Upper Lake has a league bye today before returning to action Tuesday in Lakeport against Clear Lake at 4 p.m.
