Nevada Tiger softball raises the bar, bit by bit

Sunday, September 28, 2003

The fledgling Nevada Lady Tiger softball program continues to show improvement. Nevada defeated El Dorado Springs 8-6 for its highest single-season win total thus far in its three-year history. The Tigers have three wins against nine losses and the El Dorado victory was the first-ever home win. Winless in their debut season in 2001, the Tigers won two last year. "It's nice to win at home in front of a nice crowd," said Chris Garzone, who has coached the Tigers from day one. "The girls have been working hard and they deserve some success. We had some peaks and valleys in this game, but we played through it." The Tigers scored four runs in the first inning to take a 4-1 lead, but the Lady Bulldogs crept back to pull close at 5-4 in the third. Nevada tacked on a single run in the fourth and added two huge insurance runs in the fifth to extend the lead to 8-4. El Dorado picked up two in the sixth, but could get no closer. Whitney Smith went the distance for the win. Smith allowed 10 hits and struck out nine in seven innings. Smith pitched out of trouble in the seventh with the tying runs at second and third base. She got a one-out strikeout and then induced a groundball to the first baseman for the final putout. The Tigers collected 16 hits with Afton Baldwin, Courtney Hinkle and Bridget Baldwin getting three apiece. Julie King, Chanelle Braun and Erica Klinksick had two each. Hinkle rapped a triple and King stroked a double and a triple. Nevada goes on the road for the Clinton Tournament on Saturday.

To Read More
Subscribe Sign In
Continue reading with a subscription
Subscription options