SEATTLE, Wash. The Nevada softball team split during the first day of the Husky Softball Classic, beating Portland State 7-3 before falling to No. 1 Alabama 5-2
Nevada is now 11-6 on the season.
In the first game of the day, Nevada raced out to a 7-0 lead before allowing three seventh-inning runs to the Vikings. Sophomore Katie Holverson started and went five innings for the victory as she improved to 4-3 on the season. Holverson gave up just three hits and walked only one while striking out eight.
Junior Brittany Puzey connected on her second home run of the season for the Pack, a solo shot in the third inning. Nevada had 11 hits in the game, including two each by Kym Silagyi and Danielle Patrick.
Nevada missed out on a handful of opportunities against No. 1 Alabama. The Wolf Pack stranded nine runners in the game and left the bases loaded twice.
Alabama struck for two runs in the second inning off Nevada starter Jordan McPherson. The Pack got one of those runs back in the top of the fifth inning when freshman Britton Murdock connected for a solo home run.
But the top-ranked Crimson Tide scored twice in the bottom of the fifth and once more in the sixth inning to take a 5-1 lead. Puzey narrowed the margin to 5-2 with a solo homer in the seventh, but Nevada would get no closer.
Sophomore Sam Bias went 1-for-2 against Portland State and 1-for-3 against Alabama to extend her career-long hit streak to 12 games. Freshman Noelle Micka collected a hit in each game and now has a seven-game hit streak.
Nevada continues play in the Husky Classic on Sunday, facing Portland State again at 9 a.m. and meeting the host Washington at 11:30 a.m.
