The Fossil Ridge High School Baseball team has hit a slump and are in the midst of a three game losing streak. The three losses were against three great teams: Rocky Mountain High School, Loveland High School, and Broomfield High School. However, the Sabercats already have a plan to bounce back and get back on track in their upcoming games.

The Sabercats played Rocky on Thursday, April 18 and it was tough battle between the two teams. The game went into extra innings and the Sabercats lost to the Lobos with a score of 3-4. The Sabercats held their own against the Lobos for the majority of the game but it all came down to the last at bat of the eighth inning. “We played pretty good baseball and put ourselves in a position to win but the chips didn’t really fall our way,” senior Joe Masi explained.

The next battle for the Sabercats was against the Loveland High School Indians on Friday, April 19. From the beginning, the Sabercats struggled. They gave up some easy runs, which left the Indians in the lead 6-0 until the fourth inning, when the Indians scored another four runs. The Sabercats were not able to keep up and lost to the Indians with a score of 4-10.

On Saturday, April 20, the Sabercats faced the Broomfield Eagles. The Sabercats again struggled from the top of the first inning. The Eagles scored right away, with four runs in the first inning, meaning they led the game with a score of 4-0. The Sabercats were inconsistent throughout the rest of the game, scoring one to two runs in each inning. “We didn’t play solid baseball. We had trouble throwing strikes, fielding ground balls, and hitting the baseball which obviously makes it very difficult to win,”senior Jack Cosper explained. After a tough game, the Sabercats added another loss with a score of 4-9 in favor of the Eagles.

Before the three losses, the Sabercats were ranked fifth in the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) rankings. Unfortunately, they fell down to 18th in the CHSAA rankings. The team goal for the Sabercats is to make the playoffs, “Because of our strong start and our tough non-conference schedule, we are still right in the trick of things,” Masi stated. The Sabercats are excited for a brand-new week full of games and they are ready to dominate the field. “To win our upcoming games, we need to come back together as a team and loosen up and play like we know how to play. Baseball is a mental game and you can’t let one error or one strikeout affect you the rest of the game,” Cosper stated.

Cosper has a firm belief that the team will bounce back quickly, as their team chemistry is better than it has ever been, which will greatly affect the way they play together. “We need to reinstate our mindset on team first and winning our games together,” Cosper explained. This week is a very big week for the Sabercats; winning these upcoming games will either make or break their playoff position. “Our goal is right in front of us and we control our own destiny as far as that’s concerned,” Masi stated.

The baseball team has a solid plan for their recovery in the regular season before the state tournament.The mindset of “team first” needs to come back into play and the team needs to focus on one aspect of the game at a time. Fossil has a home game against the Legacy Lightning on Tuesday, April 23. Be sure to come and support your Sabercats.