RENO – Danielle Patrick crushed a pair of home runs and the Nevada softball team won twice on the final day of the Wolf Pack Classic on Monday at Hixson Park.
Katie Holverson pitched a complete game and Nevada got 10 hits, including a pair of doubles from Kelsey Starr, to beat Southern Utah 7-1. Patrick homered twice and Holverson got a save in relief of Mallary Darby as the Pack beat Saint Mary’s 5-1 in the second game.
The Wolf Pack evened its record at 6-6 on the year.
Nevada is scheduled to be back in action on Wednesday in a doubleheader at Sacramento State.
Nevada got started early in the first game against Southern Utah and saw a strong outing from Katie Holverson in the circle.
Holverson got the complete game victory. She gave up five hits and one unearned run while walking just one and getting a career-high 10 strikeouts.
With one out in the first – Nevada was the designated visiting team – Kortnee Wiley singled to gets things started. She scored immediately on a double by Sam Bias, who then scored on a single by Britton Murdock. Murdock moved to second on a wild pitch and to third on a groundout by Kelsey Starr. She then scored on a single by Lauren Lastrapes and Nevada led 3-0.
The Pack struck for two more runs in the fourth inning after Kelsey Starr led off with a double. After Danielle Patrick reached on a fielder’s choice and Amanda Nims walked, Sam Puzey drew a bases-loaded walk to score one run. Noelle Micka then followed with a single to plate Patrick and make it a 5-0 game, though the Pack would leave the bases loaded.
In the fifth, Nevada loaded the bases again and Britton Murdock scored on a wild pitch but the Pack could not get any more across as they left the bases loaded again.
Holverson took a no-hitter into the fourth and a one-hitter into the fifth before the Thunderbirds got an unearned run back on a single up the middle and an error.
But the Pack got that run back in the top of the sixth as Murdock singled and Starr hit an RBI double down the right-field line.
Holverson closed things out from there to seal the victory.
In the final game of the day, the Gaels jumped on top of the Pack when Jenna Smith homered to lead off the second inning. But Nevada answered in the bottom of the inning as Lauren Lastrapes got on base with a two-out single. Danielle Patrick then followed with her second home run of the season, a towering two-run shot to left field that gave the Pack a 2-1 lead.
Saint Mary’s loaded the bases in the top of the third inning with three singles off Darby but she then struck out the next three batters to get out of the jam.
Darby allowed the bases to be loaded again in the fourth on two singles and a walk. But with one out, she got out of the jam when Kayle Gonzalez lined out to center and Amanda Nims was able to double Jessica Lemmon off second base.
In the top of the fifth, Darby gave up a one-out double that spelled the end to her day. Katie Holverson came on in relief and the first batter she faced, Kat Delpit, reached on an error to give the Gaels two on with one out. But Holverson struck out Jenna Smith and then got a ground ball out from Tiffany Gonzalez to get out of the inning.
Nevada added a run to its lead in the fifth inning. Jessica Haight led off with a single and moved to second with one out on a single by Noelle Micka. After Kortnee Wiley grounded out, advancing both runners, Haight scored on an infield single by Sam Bias. The Pack was on verge of breaking the game open but Bias was called out for leaving first early on a pitch that Britton Murdock crushed off the right-field wall and so the Pack’s lead was just 3-1.
Patrick gave the Pack some breathing room, however, with, her second home run of the game – a two-run shot with two outs in the sixth inning.
In the first game of the day, Saint Mary’s led Southern Utah 3-1 going into the seventh inning but the Thunderbirds struck for a pair of runs in the top of the 7th to tie it. The Gaels, however, loaded the bases with nobody out and then scored the game-winning run on a ground ball.
