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Lady Tigers upended by Chicks on Senior Night, 8-5
In their final home contest this season, the Nevada Lady Tiger softball team was bested by the Pleasant Hill Chicks, 8-5 Monday at Bushwhacker Field.
Nevada plated a run in the first to go in front, 1-0. That score held until the top of the fourth, as the Chicks pushed across five runs, seizing a 5-1 advantage. Pleasant Hill then tacked on a run in the fifth, and led 6-1.
Nevada (8-12) struck back with three runs in the home-half of the frame, and with a run in the sixth, trimmed the deficit to 6-5. A pair of insurance runs in the seventh stretched Pleasant Hill’s advantage to 8-5 — accounting for the final margin, as Nevada was unable to generate any offense in the bottom of the seventh.
For Nevada, Hailee Lundine concluded with a big day at the plate, as the junior infielder went 3-for-4 with a homerun, two runs scored and two RBI — while sophomore second baseman Abby Harder chipped in a 1-for-3, performance with a pair of runs scored. In the circle, Nevada starting pitcher Maggie Leisure suffered the loss.
“The girls came out and played very well,” Nevada head coach Tammy Holcomb told the Daily Mail. “We came out and hit the ball from the top of the lineup to the bottom of the lineup.”
Nevada wasn’t sharp in the field, committing seven errors.
“We had a few errors that came back to kind of get us,” noted Holcomb. “But overall, we’re playing probably some of our best ball right now. We just have to stay more consistent.”
Senior Night
Holcomb discussed the impact that Nevada’s four seniors have had on the Lady Tiger softball program.
Emily Johnson, 1B: “Since her freshman year, Emily has grown tremendously,” said Holcomb of the four-year varsity starter. “She’s just a kid that has worked hard and does what she needs to do. Offensively, she came alive this year, (after) struggling a little bit last year. And she’s very consistent at first base. She digs a lot of balls out of the dirt for us.”
Naudea Dodds, LF: “Naudea is fairly solid in the outfield,” began Holcomb. “She keeps nearly everything in front of her, and will run down a ball for you. She’s really started to come alive at the plate the last few games. So, she’s definitely a threat at the plate.”
Kylie Boyd, P/3B: “Kylie, who played (three years total), took a year off, and then came back this year. She’s played third base, and pitched a little for us. She helps make our left side (of the infield) pretty hard to get through for the most part. She’s a kid who has worked hard offensively to get her timing back this year. And she’s just now starting to really come alive as well. In the circle, Kylie does good job of hitting spots and keeping batters guessing on speed.”
Cameron Holcomb, C/2B: “Cameron has played catcher the majority of her sophomore, junior, and senior years, and played second base for us as a freshman,” said the veteran head coach of her daughter, and four-year varsity starter. “She just stays pretty consistent, always a little something to work on.”
Dalton Thomas, team-manager: “Dalton has done a great job. He’s been hitting a little bit (in practice), playing catch, and (retrieves) our foul balls. He comes out and works hard, does a great job. We couldn’t do the things we do without him.”
Holcomb reflected back to when her senior quartet was young and attending games at Bushwhacker Field.
“I heard the seniors talking after the game tonight, about how they had grown up out here on the field,” said Holcomb, who guided the 2010 Lady Tigers to the Class 3 State Championship.
“I can remember them being very little, sitting at the fence, and they were excited when one of the girls from the (2010) team turned around and talked to them, and things like that.”
Concluded Holcomb: “So they are definitely kids who have gown up out here, and grown up with the game. So for me tonight, that was probably the most emotional part — how this group of seniors has grown up around the program.”
