Tigers fall to Bulldogs

It was a rough week for the Lady Tigers as they dropped three conference softball games last week.

Skyview 15

Mountain Home 7

The Lady Tigers came up short in a slugfest at Mountain Home last Tuesday.

Skyview got to Lady Tiger pitcher Breann Christiansen for four runs on four hits in the top of the first inning. Mountain Home got three hits in the bottom half, but only scored one run. The Lady Tigers did score four in the second to take a 5-4 lead.

Skyview tied the game at 5-5 with an unearned run in the third, and took the lead with two more unearned runs in the fourth.

Mountain Home got one run back in the fifth to trail, 7-6, but the Lady Hawks pushed across five runs in the top of the sixth to build up a 12-6 lead. The Lady Tigers got one back in the bottom half, but left the bases loaded.

Skyview added three more runs in the seventh to make it a 15-7 final.

"It was a tough loss," said Mountain Home softball coach Joy Memmelaar after the game. "We had some opportunities and left some runners on.

"The girls really hit well today. I mean, they just crushed the ball! We had some breakdowns on defense and we got picked off a few times trying to be a little more aggressive on the bases, but hey, that's how you make things happen. It was a tough loss, but we did an okay job. We have some things to work on, but we really hit the ball!"

Ashley Kipp paced a 10-hit attack with three hits, including a double and two RBIs. Brei Draper and Carmen Santy both had two hits, Draper an RBI, Santy two runs scored. Sheena Nelsen, Dani Sloderbeck and Liz Griffeath also had hits, Nelsen had an RBI, Sloderbeck had a double.

Breann Christiansen, making her first conference start, fell to 2-2 on the season. She started in place of Ali Hillman, who missed the game because of a death in the family. Christiansen gave up 14 hits and walked eight. Just seven of the 15 runs were earned.

Bishop Kelly 10

Mountain Home 0

The unbeaten Lady Knights from Bishop Kelly scored five runs in the first inning on their way to a 10-0 five-inning win in a game shortened by the 10-run rule.

Mountain Home got only one hit off Bishop Kelly pitcher Britney Croner, who improved to 19-0 on the season. That hit was a lead-off single by Brei Draper in the second inning. Draper advanced as far as third base that inning, but the Lady Tigers failed to score.

The Lady Tigers almost got on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth inning, when Sammy Dodge was thrown out at the plate trying to score from third on a wild pitch. The Lady Tigers had the bases full, but a ground-out ended the inning.

Bishop Kelly led, 9-0, going into the bottom of the fifth, and scored the game ending run on a bases-loaded walk with one out.

"It was a tough game," said Coach Memmelaar in radio after the game. "They're a good ball club and finally we got runners on and almost scored a run -- it was real close -- but the girls didn't play poorly, they played well. They're one of the best teams in the state, so we have nothing to hang our heads about."

Bishop Kelly 11

Mountain Home 0

In a game started on April 4, but suspended because of weather, the Lady Knights made it a clean sweep last Saturday at Mountain Home.

The game had been suspended with Mountain Home batting in the bottom of the third, trailing 6-0.

Bishop Kelly got a single run in the fourth, and two runs in the sixth and seventh to make it an 11-0 final.

"Hey, at least we went all seven (innings), which is more than we did Thursday," said Coach Memmelaar after the game. "We had some opportunities, but we just didn't get any across the plate."

The Lady Tigers hosted a softball clinic for the area's youth earlier Saturday. Memmelaar indicated the clinic went well.

"The clinic went very well. We had 30-some campers throughout the day. We had lots of kids turn out and had a good time, and they were real receptive, and we got a little scrimmage in at the end, so it was a good day."

The Lady Tigers close out their regular season schedule this week at home. They hosted Emmett yesterday (Tuesday) and host Vallivue for Senior Night tomorrow (Thursday).