San Juan softball opens season with split at weather-shortened March Warmup tourney

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
It was an interesting start to the season for the San Juan High School softball team this past weekend.
The Lady Broncos traveled 400 miles to St. George on Thursday, March 14 for the annual March Warmup and what was supposed to be a two-day, five-game round robin with 42 varsity teams in attendance.
San Juan did get two games in on Friday, March 15, opening with a 19-0 loss to Duchesne at 8 a.m. and an 8-3 win over Needles, NV at 10 a.m.
Amazingly that was it. The Lady Broncos’ trip was over before noon on the first day of the tournament, at least as far as playing softball was concerned.
Inclement weather rolled into St. George on Saturday and standing water on all the fields at the Canyons Softball Complex forced all of Saturday’s games to be cancelled.
So it was a bit of a disappointing trip for San Juan. But they did get two games under their belt. They took their lumps and learned some season-opening lessons in the game-one loss to Duchesne.
Junior Sadie Cosby’s double was the only hit on Duchesne sophomore Lorisa Mower in a game that lasted just two innings. The Lady Eagles scored 11 runs in the first inning and eight in the second.
Duchesne is a 2A Central Region opponent for the Lady Broncos, so they’ll get a rematch. Those games are coming up quickly in the form of a doubleheader in Blanding on Friday, March 29.
San Juan rebounded nicely against Needles, NV to pick up their first win of the young season. The Lady Broncos opened the game at the plate and scored one run in the top of the first.
The Lady Mustangs answered with a couple runs in the bottom of the first to claim a 2-1 lead, but San Juan plated five in the top of the second to take the lead for good.
Needles scored one in the bottom of the second while the Lady Broncos added a run in the fourth and another in the fifth for an 8-3 final.
San Juan had eight hits in the win including two home runs from senior Trinity Whatcott, one from sophomore Elizabeth Palmer, and one from junior Elise Dalley.
Whatcott was a perfect 3-3 on the day with the two RBIs from her home runs. She also had a solid game on the mound, allowing three runs on three hits and striking out 11 in five innings of work.
Palmer drove in two runs with her home run while Dalley, Morgann McPherson, and Synessa Atcitty all got one RBI apiece in the win.
Though San Juan didn’t play all five of the games they anaticipated to play in St. George they brought home some early-season lessons and the team is eager to get back to work this week.
They’re set for a big 2A Central Region doubleheader against Piute on the road Friday, March 22. This year’s team is new and has a different feel about it, but the goal is still the same.
Though they lost five key contributors to graduation after last season, head coach Mike Bowers, now in the third year of his second stint at the helm, is positive.
“San Juan softball has a bright future,” he stated at the end of the 2023 season. “We are no longer a ‘rebuilding’ team. ‘Reload’ will be the new norm.”
Like the San Juan baseball team, the Lady Bronco softball squad has a number of young, talented players who have gained key varsity experience over the course of the last two seasons and are looking to make a big impact.
The games this Friday in Piute are set for 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. After that trip the Lady Broncos will return home for the rematch with Duchesne on Friday, March 29.