The SRJC softball team had momentum and confidence going head to head against the defending Big 8 champion Sierra College Wolverines.

The Bear Cubs played a double-header against Sierra College March 9 at SRJC. During the first game the Bear Cubs committed a season-high seven errors while allowing 11 runs, an uncharacteristically sloppy defensive performance for the team.

“We had errors. We hadn’t made errors all year,” said head coach Phil Wright. “We waited for one game to make seven errors. We basically shot ourselves in the foot.”

SRJC looked to rebound in the second game, but errors came back to haunt the Bear Cubs. Starting pitcher Courtney Lucchesi got into trouble early in the first inning, hitting the lead off batter and giving up a single to the next. Catcher Megan Stroud allowed several passed balls, causing two runs to score.

The Bear Cubs answered back in the bottom half of the second inning, when left fielder Morgan Taylor hit an RBI single to right center field, trimming the deficit 2-1. In the third inning, Sierra’s Jenna Thorn hit a towering fly ball to right field that easily cleared the fence, giving the Wolverines a 3-1 lead.

No other scoring occurred until the top half of the sixth inning, when Sierra once again took advantage of the Bear Cubs’ mistakes. An error in left field by Taylor allowed the Wolverines to score four more times, pushing the lead to 7-1.

“They shouldn’t have even scored those runs. [Taylor] drops the ball in left field on an error, she’s one of our best players. Those things happen,” Wright said. “They get a two-out rally and score three runs, and then the game gets a little out of control.”

The Bear Cubs mounted a comeback in the last of the seventh inning, loading the bases with no one out. SRJC pushed across three more runs, but ultimately fell 7-4.

The SRJC softball team will head south to take on Big 8 Conference foe Modesto City College at 3 p.m. March 12.