NHS softball goes 1-1 in Carthage Invite pool play

The Nevada High School softball team dropped its opening game of the 22nd annual Carthage Invitational on Friday, but was able to bounce back in game no. 2 to enter Silver Bracket play on Saturday.

Ozark topped the Lady Tigers 6-4 thanks to some stellar pitching and timely wind gusts.

"We had opportunities to bring in more runs with runners on base with two outs, but we were unable to capitalize," stated NHS head coach Danny Penn, who got one hit each out of Kirstin Buck, Bailey Ast, Teresa Dawn, and Peyton Eaton. "Credit to Ozark. They swung the bat well and their pitcher threw with confidence."

Nevada took it to Oak Park in its next game, winning 16-1.

Ast led off with a triple and scored on a Skyler Burns triple, before Buck drove in Burns with a double.

After Oak Park plated one run in the second, the Lady Tigers responded with three more in the home half of the inning — only to add 10 more in the fourth.

"I was proud of how we came back and started the Oak Park game strong," stated Penn, who saw Burns go 4-for-4 in the game and come up a homer shy of the cycle. "We played much more aggressively in the second game. We need more of that mentality tomorrow."

Nevada (16-10), which had multiple hits in the game from Burns, Buck, Ast, Dawn, Eaton, Kara Phillips, and Claire Pritchett — plus four strikeouts on two hits from Eaton in the circle — will next play Kearney and Booneville starting at 10 a.m. as part of Silver Bracket action.