Lady Tigers win Sectional game, 4-0

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. -- As if the list of first-time accomplishments the Nevada Lady Tigers softball team has produced over the past two seasons weren't already long enough, head coach Tammy Holcomb's squad has added yet another item to the list -- a Sectional championship.

The Lady Tigers came into action on Wednesday night in the Class 3 Sectional game against the Lady Bulldogs of Carl Junction knowing they would have a tough, yet very surmountable task ahead of them. Though the Lady Tigers have gotten the better of Carl Junction on a number of occasions in the past, postseason play brings a whole new level of pressure to the game and the Lady Tigers ultimately were able to overcome those pressures on their way to a 4-0 win.

"Everybody produced well tonight," Holcomb said. "They really did their jobs."

Nevada starter Christian Novak has made a habit of making quality hitters look foolish from the pitching circle and picked the perfect time to get her 13th shutout victory of the year. Novak finished the night striking out nine Carl Junction hitters while walking just one and hitting another, but also got some substantial help from her defense along the way.

"They hit the ball, just put it in play, and lots of those things were things we just couldn't do anything about," Holcomb said. "But it makes (Novak's) job a lot easier knowing that the defense is behind her."

On several occasions, the Lady Bulldogs were able to manage solid contact, but Nevada's defense simply had them played perfectly and was able to turn that contact into outs.

A normally very stout Carl Junction offense also fell victim to a couple of very tough plays that the Lady Tigers made look nearly routine.

"We have very solid defense, I feel like and we just continue to prove ourselves and prove to each other that we're there," Holcomb said.

The night was equally troubling for the Lady Tigers offense. In the second inning, Nevada was able to load the bases before the first out was recorded, but was unable to get on the board as Carl Junction's defense stepped up and was able to get out of the frame with the help of a couple of very close calls at the plate that could have gone either way.

"That's the thing, though," Holcomb said. "We knew that Carl Junction was going to be solid in the field and so we were just trying to get some of those runs by moving runners around and, unfortunately, it didn't work for us."

The Lady Tigers did eventually get on the board first in the fourth inning, but it wasn't due to movement of baserunners as center fielder Jessica Neely took it upon herself to get the offense started. Though Carl Junction starter Sydney Koch had been able to keep the Lady Tigers offense that has averaged more than eight runs per game quiet through the first three innings, she made one mistake and Neely made her pay, blasting her eighth home run of the year into the scoreboard in center field to give the Lady Tigers a 1-0 lead after four.

Neither side was able to notch a hit from that point on with the exception of one in the bottom of the fourth for Carl Junction until the top of the sixth when junior shortstop Tiffani Long followed in Neely's footsteps. This time, however, Neely was on base when Carl Junction center fielder Tori Graskemper and right fielder Bryce Boyd were forced to simply watch as the ball sailed past the scoreboard for Long's fifth homer of the season.

Carl Junction threatened to make a game of it in the home half of the seventh, loading the bases with just one out thanks to two hits and Novak's only hit batter of the game, but the Lady Tigers defense was having none of it. Novak and her defense were ultimately able to keep their composure until Long made the catch on a weak popup to the middle of the infield for the final out of the game, securing a 4-0 Lady Tigers victory.

With the win, the Lady Tigers improved to 20-5 on the year -- adding yet another first with their 20th win of the year -- and are now the 2010 Class 3 Sectional champions. The Lady Tigers will host the quarterfinal contest on Saturday against Reeds Spring at Bushwhacker Field. Reeds Spring defeated Sullivan Wednesday night by a final score of 4-3.

The Lady Tigers have seen Reeds Spring before and were able to pick up an 8-5 victory over the Wolves in their own tournament last season, but Holcomb said that her squad will be facing a very tough opponent in the quarterfinal game, nonetheless.

"They're going to be solid," she said of the Wolves. "It's that time of year that we're going to see that from every team, so we're just going to have to come out and play like we know we can."