The River Falls High School softball team had an uncharacteristically sloppy defensive performance against Eau Claire North on Friday night, and it cost the Wildcats their longest win streak in over a decade.

River Falls made errors throughout the game, but in the top of the seventh inning, Eau Claire North clung to a 10-9 advantage. That was until another River Falls error led to a five-run barrage for the Huskies that ultimately culminated in the Wildcats’ 15-9 defeat at home.

River Falls made five errors while Eau Claire North had just one defensive miscue, which led to the Wildcats’ eight-game heater ending on a cold, rainy evening. For River Falls head coach Matt Smith, the loss was a byproduct of making mistakes in pivotal moments.

“It was uncharacteristic and it was our sloppiest game in the field this year,” Smith said. “They were timely, costly errors. There were a couple in that game that were big and didn’t let us get out of an inning. North capitalized on those errors and made us pay for those mistakes.”

Although River Falls’ mistakes were too much to overcome, the Wildcats had their chances. River Falls junior Jordan Torrez gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead with her solo shot in the bottom of the first inning.

Eau Claire North scored seven unanswered runs between the second and fifth innings and took a 7-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth frame. That’s when River Falls put together a five-run inning that featured five walks, a single and a costly Huskies’ error that brought the Wildcats to within one run, 7-6.

River Falls and Eau Claire North scored three runs apiece in the sixth inning and went to the top of the seventh battling through adverse weather amid a 10-9 grudge match that favored the Huskies.

The Wildcats came unglued in the top of the seventh, which featured two hit batters, a pair of errors and five walks. Eau Claire North cashed in on River Falls’ mistakes and won the 15-9 shootout on Friday night.

“It was 10-9 going into the seventh and we had two outs still down one run, but we just couldn’t get out of the inning,” Smith said. “We had an error on a ground ball, then a passed ball and a couple of bloop hits. Next thing you know it’s 15-9. We had chances, but North did what they had to do to get the win.”

The Wildcats slipped to 10-3 overall and 5-3 in Big Rivers Conference play, where they remain alone in third place behind New Richmond (6-2) and Chippewa Falls (10-0).

Although the loss snapped River Falls’ eight-game win streak, the last month featured some of the best softball the Wildcats have played in more than 15 years.

Not including this year’s streak, River Falls had won three or more games consecutively just one time since 2008. That was a three-game stretch in April of 2013 that included victories against Saint Croix Falls, Altoona and Somerset.

Smith, who is in his first year as head coach of the Wildcats, has River Falls in truly uncharted waters given their track record of success, or lack thereof. He spoke about the win streak his girls began back more than three weeks ago.

“It was a lot of timely hitting and good pitching,” Smith said. “We threw strikes, didn’t put ourselves in bad situations and we trusted our defense. We executed well on the bases and played really well as a team. It’s really fun to watch them. I’m proud of these girls, their perseverance and the effort they’ve had. We’ve done things the right way and everyone has done their part.”

Smith and the Wildcats briefly enjoyed the fruits of their labor, but they’re back on the grind preparing for what is slated to be the toughest stretch of games in the 2023 campaign.

Throughout the final two weeks of the regular season, River Falls will square off against four programs competing for a conference championship in their respective leagues. That includes Chippewa Falls (11-2), Prescott (11-4), New Richmond (6-3) and Saint Croix Falls (9-3).

“We’re going to have a tough stretch here to finish the season,” Smith said. “Our last 10 games are going to be tough and that’s OK. We like challenges like that, but we’re going to have to play really good ball to be competitive. We’re going to give those teams all we’ve got.”

The Wildcats have had success in the circle and they’ve been solid defensively, but their offensive production has been their magnum opus this season. River Falls has scored five or more runs in 12 of 13 games this year. The only contest they failed to reach that benchmark was in the 9-1 loss at Hudson in the season opener.

River Falls begins its tough final stretch of the regular season with a non-conference game on the road against Somerset on Monday, May 8. That game is slated to begin at 5 p.m.