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The Cougars fell 16-1 to the Westwood Wildcats in a Thursday home matchup.

“You gon’ have them days,” said Cougars’ head coach Ryan Riles. “We’ve got to keep our head up. You’re going to face hardships in life, or whatever it may be, it’s just trusting and never giving up.”

Westwood put the Cougars on their back foot early after scoring 10 runs in the top of the first inning. Landon Temple responded for GCA in the bottom of the inning, scoring a run courtesy of a Hines Roberts fly-ball single.

The Wildcats scored five more runs in the second inning and added another to their lead in the third. The Cougars were unable to find home again, and the game ended 16-1 in the third inning due to mercy rule. 

“Heck, that was a tough loss,” Riles said. “But the way everybody kept fighting- that’s my thing. I preach heart.”

Riles said the team showed improvement despite what was on the scoreboard and was proud of his team for committing just three errors.

“Before, we had seven or eight errors a game and all this other stuff,” Riles said. “We’ve cut that down big time. So the progression is there. Don’t look at the loss, you’ve just got to keep pushing.”

The loss pushes the Cougars to a 2-6 record on the season. They travel to Miller County High School on Friday, March 15, for their next contest. First pitch is at 4:00 p.m.

“We’ve got to make those routine plays and put the ball in play,” Riles said about what he wants to see from the team against the Pirates. “And first and foremost, trust God and know he’s got it.”