TEMPE, Ariz. – The University of Nevada softball team fell to Portland State and Indiana in the Wolf Pack’s season-opening day at the Kajikawa Classic Friday.
In the first game, Nevada fell 6-3 to Portland State and the Pack then dropped a 10-2 decision in five innings to Indiana in the nightcap. The Wolf Pack committed two errors and allowed two unearned runs in each game. But the biggest culprit of the day was an inability to get a clutch hit as Nevada stranded 20 runners in 12 innings on Friday.
True freshman Karley Hopkins led the way offensively for the Pack, collecting an extra-base hit in each game. Lauren Lastrapes drove in a pair of runs for Nevada.
Against Portland State, Nevada opened the game strong as junior Mallary Darby struck out the first hitter she faced and cruised to a 1-2-3 first inning.
Darby was outdone by Anna Bertrand of Portland State though, who struck out 16 of the 33 hitters she faced en route to her first win of the year. Bertrand gave up three hits and walked eight in the victory.
In the bottom half of the first, Hopkins ripped a double into the left-center field gap in her first at-bat as a member of the Wolf Pack. Nevada subsequently loaded the bases, but sophomore Alex Hayes was caught looking with the bags full to end the frame.
The trend would continue for the Pack as they left nine runners on base in the game.
Portland State took the game’s first lead, as they loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the second and plated two runners in the inning. Both runs were unearned.
After falling behind 4-0 in the fifth, Nevada finally got on the board in the bottom half of the inning. Nevada’s first two batters, Jayme King and Sara Parsons, reached base by walks. After a single by Danielle Patrick and a strikeout by Britton Murdock, Lastrapes singled home two runs while another scored on an error to make the score 4-3.
Nevada was unable to plate the tying run in the inning, and Portland State responded swiftly by scoring twice on three hits in the top of the sixth.
The Pack put two runners on in the bottom of the seventh and the tying run came to the plate in the form of pinch hitter Caylin Campbell. She grounded out sharply to third to end the contest.
Against Indiana and former Pack coach Michelle Gardner, it was a similar story for the Pack.
Nevada got in a hole in the first inning as the Hoosiers took the early lead on at three-run shot by Sara Olson.
The Pack got one back in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, freshman Caylin Campbell got her first collegiate hit – a triple down the right-field line. She then scored on a passed ball. Nevada would later put runners on second and third with two outs but Megan Fincher struck out to end the inning.
Indiana took control of the game in the third as the Hoosiers scored five runs on four hits, two Nevada errors and a wild pitch.
Freshman Bailey Brewer, making her first career start, struck out 11 in five innings in the game but suffered the loss.
Nevada will return to action on Saturday against Appalachian State at 1:30 p.m. (Pacific) and Oregon at 6:30 p.m.
