Prep softball: Bulldogs searching for confidence after Indianola sweep
Jun. 11—INDIANOLA — Confidence is key.
That's the message Ottumwa softball head coach Mandi Moore wants her team to internalize going forward after the Bulldogs were swept in 4-2 and 5-1 fashion Thursday night at Indianola High School.
The Bulldogs totaled eight hits over the double-header against the Indians, with one Bulldog providing all of the RBIs in the defeats. The struggling offensive showing gave Moore a chance to deliver a pointed message to her group after the Bulldogs huddled together in the outfield after the team's sixth and seventh losses of the season: You have to be confident in yourself.
"We knew going in these were going to be good opponents," Moore said.
"But you have to have confidence. If you don't have confidence you're not going to accomplish anything. Going up [to the plate] saying you're going to do something is better than saying, 'Oh, well I'm not going to hit this.'"
The Indians came into Thursday's double-header on top of the Little Hawkeye Conference and now hold a 13-3 overall record after the sweep over Ottumwa.
Ella Allar would continue her strong start to her sophomore season in the sweep, driving in all three of the runs the Bulldogs managed over the double-header. Allar's performance against Indianola gave her eight RBIs over her last eight games.
"We need to go in there wanting to hit, knowing you can hit, attack the ball and just have confidence in yourself because a lot of girls get anxious up there," Allar said.
Moore believes the Bulldogs can find this confidence before they even step onto the diamond for game-day. Moore said going forward, Ottumwa's practices will have to include more live at-bats, allowing the Bulldogs to stand at the plate against different types of hypothetical strike-zones and pitch arsenals.
In game one of the night, Indianola starting pitcher Kate Kralik racked up 13 strikeouts on the Bulldogs, striking out six consecutive batters in the fourth aha fifth innings. Over the course of the double-header, Ottumwa left nine runners on base.
But throughout this offensive downturn, how has Allar stayed a consistent force in the offense over the last two weeks? Spoiler alert: Her coach can see how confident she is in herself.
"She asks a lot of questions to make herself better offensively and defensively," Moore said. "And that's a good thing."
"It's amazing from one year to the next of how much she's actually transformed as a player. You can tell she's a whole different person at the plate. Again, there's the word 'confidence' again. She's just gained so much over a season of playing at a high level."
That confidence could have a chance to improve next week for Ottumwa, with its next two opponents, the Des Moines Lincoln Railsplitters and the Urbandale J-Hawks holding a combined 11-20 overall record.
Lincoln sits one game back of the Bulldogs in the CIML-Metro standings, with a Monday double-header at Huston Field a chance for the Bulldogs to widen the gap.
Later in the week, Ottumwa will head to Urbandale to face the J-Hawks in a double-header who hold a 7-10 overall record and sit last in the CIML-Central standings.
Matt Belinson can be reached at mbelinson@ottumwacourier.com.
