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Lady Tigers softball wins district championship, 11-0
The mission for the Nevada Lady Tigers softball team all season long has been to put an end to nine years of frustration that has seen second-year head coach Tammy Holcomb's squad suffer defeat after defeat -- a few in devastating fashion -- and to finally get the monkey off its back and win a district championship. Mission accomplished.
Many members of the capacity crowd in attendance for Saturday's district championship game at Bolivar High School never questioned that the Lady Tigers would win a district championship, but simply couldn't put a finger on just how deep in the state playoffs they would go. That confidence wasn't just a prevalent factor in the community, either. Lady Tigers senior center fielder Jessica Neely went so far as to tell the Daily Mail in a previous interview during the regular season that, "We're getting one this year."
"That's been their goal all year and I've just tried to help them reach that goal," Holcomb said. "We're doing everything we can."
The opposition in Saturday's Class 3, District 11 championship game came into the contest with similar confidence, though it came from years of success, rather than frustration. The Lady Jays of Marshfield were entering their third consecutive district championship game, having one the previous two.
The continued success the Lady Jays came into the game looking for was not to be, however, as the Lady Tigers put the pressure on starting pitcher Ashton Worth and never let up on their way to an 11-0 victory in five innings. "I think they played excellent today," Holcomb said of her squad after the game. "I don't think we could have asked for anything better."
The odd numbered innings seemed to be where the Lady Tigers shined in the district tournament as they were shut out in the second and fourth innings of both of their run-rule victories in the tournament and the first, third and fifth innings held all of the offense. In the semifinal game against Strafford, the Lady Tigers scored two in the first, four in the third and four more in the fifth inning on their way to a 10-0 win.
The story was much the same in Saturday's championship game as Nikki O'Bryan reached base after a third strike pitch got away from Lady Jays catcher Amanda Gourley. Olivia Culbertson wasted little time driving her home with a triple off the wall in right and ultimately followed her home after a throwing error to give the Lady Tigers a quick 2-0 lead.
The Lady Jays threatened in the top of the third to get back in the game as Kyle Murgel led off the frame with a single and moved around to third with two outs after Morgan Blackstock doubled. Both runners were ultimately stranded, however, as Nevada starter Christian Novak got Mackensie Sanders swinging to end the inning.
Novak finished the game with yet another very strong day, allowing just three hits with nine strikeouts and one walk in five scoreless innings. Novak finished her day throwing 53 strikes in 74 pitches.
"Christian did an excellent job," Holcomb said. "The defense worked behind her, our bats were working well."
Though the two runs they scored in the first inning turned out to be all they needed, the Lady Tigers weren't done yet. Thanks to some substantial struggles by Worth, the Lady Tigers put the final nail in the coffin with nine runs in the third inning.
O'Bryan and Tiffani Long each recorded a two-run single in the frame while Worth hit two Lady Tigers in the inning as well. Mackenzie Pritchett scored two of the nine runs in the frame and the Lady Tigers ultimately came out with five of their seven hits in the third.
That was where the offense ended for both sides and the Novak held on for the final two innings to take her 11th shutout victory of the year. The offense was spread out fairly evenly throughout the lineup as O'Bryan, Culbertson and Long each finished with two RBIs and the Lady Tigers got a hit from seven different players.
With that win, the Lady Tigers added their school-record 19th win of the season, breaking that record for the second consecutive year in just Holcomb's second season with the team and can now call themselves district champions for the first time. "I take little credit for that," Holcomb said of the success. "These girls have desire and drive that you can't ask for from anybody and that helps us tremendously."
The Lady Tigers finished the tournament 2-0, 19-5 overall, and will now head into the state Sectional game against another tough opponent in the Lady Bulldogs of Carl Junction tomorrow, at 5:30 p.m., at Carl Junction High School.
"It's going to be a tough game," Holcomb said. "Carl Junction is pretty sound, but we know what we have to do to beat them and it's play like we have."
On top of the tournament victory, the Lady Tigers have even more to be happy about. When the All-District team selections were announced Monday, eight Lady Tigers found their names on the list.
Among the first-team selections were Novak, Culbertson, Long, Tori Dahmer and Neely. Pritchett, Lexi Johnson and O'Bryan each earned second-team spots.
"Myself, the school and the entire community are very happy for our softball girls," Nevada High School athletic director Kevin McKinley said. "This accomplishment is really the yardstick that you judge your season by."
"I was lucky enough to be an assistant coach on several district championship basketball teams under Coach Adams and Coach McNeley and started on the first two men's district basketball champions in school history under Coach Steve Rutledge. The thing that I would tell the girls of both our softball and golf teams this fall is that each time you enter the Wynn Gymnasium and see 2010 District Champions under your sport's banner, it will make you feel proud. Being a player on those two teams still makes me proud today almost 30 years later.
"It always makes a bad day better as I am walking through the gym. The only feeling to top it would be to add the signs of Sectional Champion and State Champion."