Tigers put focus on postseason
RED OAK — With the regular season done and out of the way, the Red Oak softball team is setting its sights on its regional softball tournament opener Wednesday against Shenandoah.
Red Oak concluded the final regular season game Friday with a 14-0 loss in three innings at home versus the Creston Panthers.
Despite closing the regular season with a loss, the Tigers (4-28) have matched the win total for the previous two seasons combined.
“It’s always nice to see my hometown succeed a little. I definitely think we should have won a couple more,” Red Oak softball coach Tristin Johnson said. “It’s nice to see the success and see if we can keep building on it.”
The Tigers fell behind early against Creston on senior day and were unable to recover as the lone senior, Shelbie Perez, got the hit for the Tigers.
Perez has a .242 batting average and .382 on-base percentage this season.
“She’s a great leader. She wants to do everything right not only for herself, but for everyone else,” Johnson said about Perez. “It’s huge having someone like that.”
Perez has served as a leader behind the plate for the Tigers. The catcher is second on the team in fielding percentage (.945) and is also tied for fourth in the conference throwing out runners on the base paths with six.
“This is probably my favorite season. We’ve all worked really hard and the games that we do well in, we put all the effort we can into them,” Perez said. “The family has noticed, the other teams and coaches have noticed how a lot better of a team we are as opposed to previous years.”
Perez has enjoyed this season off the field, as well.
“Our softball family is like a lot more close, like we care about what happens with each other,” Perez said. “In here, everyone gets treated equally.”
With just the one senior and two juniors, the team has had no shortage of youth in the starting line-up, including multiple everyday starters in eighth grade.
“At this level, the game gets a little more serious,” Perez said. “They’re learning.”
Perez is in the unique position of having a different coach virtually every season of her softball career.
“It was hard to develop that player-coach bond,” Perez said. “This year, I think our coach is a lot more understanding and knows that we could do good.”
Perez has been very happy with Johnson as coach this season.
“He’s probably like the best coach I’ve had out of all the years I played softball,” she said.
For Perez, the goal is to keep the season going when Red Oak plays Shenandoah Wednesday at 7 p.m.
“We just have to go out and get 21 outs the fastest,” she said.
The Tigers are looking to get their first regional softball tournament win since 2012.
“I think we have a pretty good draw,” Johnson said. “I definitely think we can make some good noise.”
The key for the Tigers will be offense.
“If they put the ball in play, they can make things happen,” Johnson said.
That last postseason win in 2012 came against Shenandoah.
The winner of the Red Oak/Shenandoah game will play the winner of Atlantic/Clarinda Friday at 7 p.m. in Atlantic.
The regional final will take place in Stuart July 13.
Harlan Doubleheader
The Tigers were swept in a doubleheader that was originally scheduled to take place in Red Oak Thursday evening, but instead was moved to Harlan because of rainfall in Red Oak.
Red Oak lost the first game 12-0 in four innings.
The second game was closer as Red Oak fell 9-6.
Alexis Wingfield, Ashlee Young and Maddie Wendt all went 1-for-3 in the game, each scoring a run.
Perez and Behrens both went 1-for-4, while Emily Peterson went 1-for-5.
Red Oak vs. Creston
The Tigers played Creston earlier last week when they fell 11-1 in five innings.
Red Oak kept close with Creston, but the Panthers pulled away in the third inning with six runs to take a 10-1 lead.
Creston scored one more in the fifth to get the win.
Jasmine Forward scored the only run in the game for Red Oak, thanks to a hit by Perez.
Perez, as well as Kamryn Buntrock, both went 1-for-2. Sydney Streicher had the other hit as she was 1-for-3.
Red Oak vs. Clarinda
The Tigers stayed close the entire way with Clarinda last Monday.
However, one run in the fourth inning made the difference as Clarinda won 1-0.
Wingfield was 2-for-3 in the game, while Streicher and Perez were 1-for-3, while Buntrock went 1-for-2.
Red Oak pitcher Zoey Welter gave up two hits in the loss.