Yuma High School’s softball team keeps running into long breaks in action, which has made it tough for the Indians to get into a groove.
“I think the hardest thing about not getting to play for awhile is being unable to find a rhythm this year,” coach Morgan Spencer said.
The Indians began the year with a dominating sweep of Faith Christian. However, they did not play again for more than two weeks, getting swept by Scottsbluff, Nebraska, at home, then losing two in a rescheduled doubleheader at Fort Lupton on September 12.
They then headed to Wray last Tuesday, September 15, losing the first game 11-5. However, they began to find their way again in the second game, pushing the Eagles to extra innings before losing by one run.
“I think in that second Wray game we started finding that rhythm again and now we have another obstacle to overcome this season,” Spencer said.
That’s because the Indians cannot even practice together for two weeks, then jump into their final three double-headers of the season over the course of five days.
“The girls have worked so hard and come such a long ways I hope we’re able to finish on a high note,” Spencer said.
Last week’s home doubleheaders against Holyoke and Burlington had to be rescheduled to September 29 and October 1, respectively, followed by the regular-season ending double dip at Limon on October 3.
That is because the whole softball team has been asked to quarantine, following the school’s first confirmed case of COVID-19 last Wednesday. As of Tuesday, YHS had four confirmed cases with more than 170 students and staff in quarantine.
Since the players cannot get together, Spencer is having them do individual workouts. The players are doing fielding drills, swinging the bat, and the pitchers are working on that daily. Spencer said she also plans to have some virtual meetings throughout the week.
“The challenge is figuring out what these kids have access too and kind of making them ‘homemade’ drills to do to keep their skills sharp,” Spencer said.
