RENO, Nev. – The Nevada softball team split a pair of games Sunday at the Wolf Pack Classic at Hixson Park.
Nevada scored early and often in run-ruling Southern Utah, 11-2, in the final game of the day after falling 9-7 in nine innings to Saint Mary’s. Play continues in the Wolf Pack Classic on Monday with three games beginning at 10 a.m.
Against Southern Utah, Nevada took advantage of wildness by the Thunderbird pitching staff and rode a strong outing by Mallary Darby to the victory. Nevada is now 4-6 on the year.
Darby tossed all five innings of the 11-2 win over Southern Utah, giving up two runs – one earned – on seven hits while walking two and striking out six.
The Pack had just five hits – including Britton Murdock’s two-run home run – but capitalized on 10 Southern Utah walks and five wild pitches.
The Pack scored four runs in the first, on just one hit, and came back with five runs in the second, also on one hit, to take control of the game.
Murdock scored three runs while Sam Puzey went 2-for-3 with a run in the game. Junior Justine Cooper saw her first playing time of the season and hit a pinch-hit single in the fourth.
The Wolf Pack Classic continues Monday as Southern Utah will take on Saint Mary’s at 10 a.m. Nevada will play Southern Utah at noon and then the Pack will play Saint Mary’s at 2 p.m.
In the first game against Saint Mary’s, Nevada jumped out early only to see Saint Mary’s come back and tie the game before winning it on a home run in the ninth inning.
Nevada jumped out early with a run in the first. The Pack was the designated visiting team and Britton Murdock got things started with an RBI double that scored Sam Bias all the way from first base.
The Gaels scored an unearned in the bottom of the first to tie the game.
But Nevada came right back in the second inning. A walk by Danielle Patrick and a single from Kortnee Wiley put runners on and in scoring position with two outs. Noelle Micka plated both runners with a base hit and Nevada took a 3-1 lead.
The Gaels answered in the bottom of the second, cutting Nevada’s lead to 3-2 on a solo home run by Jenna Smith
But the Pack got the run back in the third as Bias drew a leadoff walk and scored on a double by Kelsey Starr. Nevada tacked on another run in the fourth when Amanda Nims led off the inning with her first career home run, a shot that hit the foul pole on the left-field line.
Leading 5-2 in the fifth, Nevada chased Gaels starter Maryanne Cronin after Murdock led off with a single to left. Starr greeted reliever Jessica Lemmon with another single to left. After a Lauren Lastrapes grounded into a fielder’s choice, Patrick drew a walk to load the bases with one out. After Nims struck out, Murdock scored on a wild pitch to make it a 6-2 Nevada lead. Wiley drew a walk to load the bases again but Micka grounded out to end the inning.
The Pack was seemingly in control until the Gaels struck for four runs on three hits and an error to tie the game up and chase starter Katie Holverson. Mallary Darby came on in relief and got Nevada out of the inning.
Nevada loaded the bases again in the top of the sixth inning but left them loaded.
In the bottom of the sixth, Saint Mary’s put a runner on third with one out after a hit and a sac bunt, but Darby got a big strikeout and induced a ground ball to get out of the jam.
The teams went into the eighth tied at seven and with the international tie-breaker in place (each team starts extra innings with a runner on second base), each team scored in the eighth. Nevada got its run on an RBI double from Sam Puzey.
Nevada was unable to score in the ninth and that set up the heroics by Tiffany Gonzalez, who hit the two-run homer to win it for the Gaels.
In the first game of the day, Saint Mary’s beat Southern Utah 7-2.
