The California High School varsity softball team opened the 2014 season with participation in the Marshall Tournament Saturday, where the Lady Pintos ultimately finished in eighth place after suffering three tough losses.
"We struggled on the mound with young girls, and one who is injured," California Head Coach Leah Urich said. "We were also missing a couple of returning starters from last year. But I'm proud of the girls for pushing through the heat and finishing the games."
The Lady Pintos faced off with Marshall in first-round action, where California suffered a 21-2 loss.
"We had some errors, but made some good plays as well," Urich said. "We got our first game jitters out of the way with the Marshall game, which was the first time the girls stepped on the field as a team."
In the semifinal round of the losers' bracket, California played Warsaw, where the Lady Pintos lost 8-1 to the Lady Wildcats.
"We played really well until the last inning," Urich said. "The girls made some great catches and worked as a team, and they hit the ball well. We held Warsaw until the last inning, where we gave up some runs on errors and base hits."
The loss moved the Lady Pintos to the seventh place game, where California lost 17-1 to O'Hara.
"Many of the girls were overheated by our third game," Urich said. "A player on another team and an umpire had already gone down due to the heat."
Urich added, "I'm proud of the girls for coming together as a team. I have high hopes and anticipate a good year."
California will host Russellville Thursday, beginning with the varsity game at 5 p.m., and the JV game to follow.