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Nevada edged by Monett, 4-3
A 4-3 Big 8 Conference West division home loss to Monett Tuesday afternoon extended the Nevada Lady Tigers' losing skid to three games.
Trailing 4-2 and down to their final three outs, Nevada center fielder Kara Phillips led off the home-half of the seventh with double to deep to center. Phillips was then plated by a Tylin Heathman base knock, trimming the deficit to a run.
The Lady Tigers were unable to complete the rally, stranding Heathman in scoring position. At the dish for Nevada, Phillips finished 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and two runs scored. Heathman, meanwhile, went 2-for4 with two RBI.
Lady Tiger starting pitcher Abby Harder also collected a pair of doubles while scoring once, and plating a run on an RBI sacrifice fly.
"Offensively, we didnīt play very smart, situationally," said Nevada Head coach, Danny Penn. "In the first two innings, we got our leadoff hitter on base with a double, and were only able to score a total of one run. We did a really poor job of situational hitting-hitting (with) a couple of infield pop-ups and striking out a couple of times. We have to do a better job of situational hitting, especially right now when weŕe struggling to win games. We have to do the little things right, because they can make a huge difference in a one-run game."
In the circle, Harder tossed a seven-inning complete game. Harder (4-3) was charged zero earned runs while striking out four en route to the tough-luck pitching loss.
"Abby threw a really nice game for us," Penn said, adding she induced many ground-ball outs. "Unfortunately, our defense gave Monett extra opportunities, and they took advantage of them."
Penn said his club is not in sync defensively.
"Our defense continues to be a source of frustration," he said. "We committed six errors, and at least half of those were 'passive' errors, where we did not come and make a play on the ball. We appear to be lacking confidence in the field, and when the ball is hit to us, we are not aggressive and confident. Instead, a number of us look hesitant, and we're not making plays that we routinely do in practice."
Up Next
Nevada (5-6) returns to the diamond for today's non-conference home contest with visiting Sherwood. First pitch is slated for 4:30 p.m. from Bushwhacker Field.