Hurricanes try to get a handle on problem

Hitting and pitching have not been a problem for Citrus in recent seasons, but at times the Hurricanes have been bitten by the error bug.

It happened again Tuesday. In a 6-3 loss to Hernando, they committed six errors -- four by the infield -- after not booting the ball once in their first three games, all wins.

"If you take out the errors against Hernando, we win 3-2," Citrus coach Scott Waters said. "Megan Rall did a good job for us on the mound. She was holding her own, but the defense let her down."

Waters said the 'Canes spent 45 minutes on situational fielding in Wednesday's practice. They concentrated mostly on bunt defense.

"We changed our routine a little bit," Waters said. "We went to work on some problem areas we saw (against Hernando). We've got a set schedule for the week, but it's not the bible. If we see areas that need work, we go back to that."

Waters expects the infield to improve as junior Sarah Salozzo, a newcomer at third base, grows more comfortable with the position. "She's got a lot to learn, but she has a great glove and a strong arm," Waters said. "She'll do well once she settles in. It's just a matter of getting games under her belt."

MORE FIELDING WOES: In a recent 6-0 loss to Crystal River, Lecanto (2-1 before Thursday's game against Citrus) could not take advantage of Nikki Pontius' 13-strikeout effort on the mound -- largely because of errors.

"We cracked on defense," Panthers coach Amy Lilley said. "We went over what we need to work on the next day. Crystal River put us in a position we weren't ready to face. We had too many errors in that game, and it was costly. But it was a great learning experience."

WAKE-UP CALL: Crystal River coach Lanna Hough was shocked by this week's 4-2 upset loss to unheralded Dunnellon.

"We played poorly," Hough said. "Our heads weren't in the game. We had more hits than Dunnellon, but we never strung them together. We had only one error, but it looked like a lot of them were just going through the motions. We weren't really hustling."

Could the defeat help? "I think so," Hough said. "We've had a problem motivating. We're like "Girls, you've got to get motivated.' I think with this loss they'll realize, "You know, the coaches are right. We've got to get our butts moving and playing well.' "

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