(Oakland, IA) – The Riverside Bulldogs softball team was on a five-game winning streak until they fell to state-ranked #7 West Monona and #14 Treynor in back-to-back games. The Bulldogs kept things close against Treynor and fell 8-6 after pulling back and scoring five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Head Coach Lacie Patterson wants to see the team remain consistent in their hitting. Riverside continues to rely on the heavy-hitters this season and now needs to bring consistency to the table.
Speaking of getting hits overall, Riverside has been hitting .306 at the plate with a .443 slugging percentage and is led by an eighth-grader, two freshmen, and two juniors. Sophia Fenner, Kayden Schnack, and Elly Henderson are all batting over .400 this season and all have over a .480 slugging percentage.
The key to Riverside’s hitting success comes from repetition. Coach Patterson knows that the more these girls go up to the plate, the more it becomes second nature to make contact with the softball.
Riverside is just taking things one game at a time. The way to get better overall is to learn from your mistakes on the field and push forward. Every play is an opportunity to learn on the field, and the Bulldogs continue to be educated with a .886 team fielding percentage and an overall 3.28 team ERA. The goal now is to go and play your heart out.
Coach Patterson’s expectations for the postseason are clear, keep up the pace and make themselves well-known as top contenders for a long postseason run.
Riverside has just a few games left of the regular season with a game tonight against Westwood starting at 6:30 p.m. They’ll then take on Essex on Monday followed by a KSOM Game of the Week on Tuesday against Griswold.
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