Lady Tigers debut with loss to Emmett

The Mountain Home Lady Tigers opened their 2013 softball season last Thursday with a 14-5 loss to Emmett at Memmelaar Field in Mountain Home.

Emmett scored two runs in the first inning, added another in the third and four in the fourth to take a 7-0 lead.

Mountain Home finally scored in the fifth, and after Emmett increased its lead to 10-1 in the top of the sixth, the Lady Tigers countered with three runs in the bottom of the sixth to make it 10-4, Emmett.

Emmett scored four more runs in the top of the seventh to make it 14-4.

The Lady Tigers were able to get one more run in the bottom of the seventh to make it a 14-5 final.

Mountain Home softball coach Ron Nicolosi said they got behind early and were not able to battle back.

"We started slow, and made some mistakes early, physical, as well as mental, and that put us in a hole pretty quick. It was awful tough to climb out of that hole. But there were some positives we can take out of our first game. One of the positives being that we outhit them, so, for the first game of the season, there were plenty positives, despite the loss."

Mountain Home outhit the Lady Huskies 9-8. Madi Karst and Morgan Vivier both had two hits and an RBI. Kelly Elliott, Taylor Reed, Heather Adams, Sarah Osborn and Maeghan Pomerantz also had hits. Reed had a double and Kelly, Adams and Osborn knocked in runs.

Heather Adams suffered the loss, giving up eight hits, striking out three and walking five. Just six of the 14 runs by Emmett were earned as the Lady Tigers committed six errors.

Mountain Home was at Columbia Tuesday and travels to Nampa this Thursday.

"I expect Columbia to be tough and they're going to bring it to us. Again, we're going to have to be prepared, not just physically, but mentally also," said Coach Nicolosi.

"We've got to cover the bases and do things with the softball that we have to think about ahead of time and make the plays or else we'll have a tough day with Columbia, and Nampa on Thursday, and both of these games are away, so we're going to have to get focused even more.

The coach anticipates that Nampa will give the Lady Tigers a battle.

"I don't expect stepping on the field against any of our teams in conference and not having to play well, and be prepared," he said.

The Lady Tigers next home game is March 19 against Caldwell.