Lady Tigers find competition tough after pair of losses

Friday, April 15, 2016

The Lady Tigers softball team returned to the field following their spring break hiatus to find the competition tough during losses to Bishop Kelly and Middleton.

Mountain Home 2,

Bishop Kelly 23

Bishop Kelly's Lady Knights rallied at the top of the first inning with seven runs and added eight more in the second as they dominated the Lady Tigers during a 23-2 softball contest April 5.

Mountain Home got on the scoreboard at the bottom of the third with two runs before Bishop Kelly added another six runs in the fourth before ending the game after five innings.

Coach Ron Nicolosi admitted the loss represented a tough night for the Lady Tigers softball team.

"I didn't see this coming after the week of practices we've had," Nicolosi said. "We played very poor defensively, however, we also didn't hit the ball like we are capable of."

In comparison, Bishop Kelly hit well with the Lady Tigers unable to match the Lady Knights on hits, the coach added. While Ryan Floyd's hits would've normally put the ball out of the field, the wind kept them inside the ball park, according to Mountain Home's coach.

Floyd finished the evening with 26 first-pitch strikes during five innings of play. The coach also credited Sophia Harris' great catch attempt that evening.

"She had to jump up, make the catch, and then she hit the fence," Nicolosi said.

The loss to Bishop Kelly comes as the Lady Tigers continue to face more competitive teams as the season continues.

"Unfortunately, it doesn't get any easier," Nicolosi said. "We need to start making plays, and then we'll start being competitive."

Mountain Home 0, Middleton 10

Consistent hitting by the Middleton Lady Vikings kept Mountain Home at bay during a 10-0 shutout Thursday evening.

Middleton put three runs on the board at the bottom of the first before adding two more in the second and a trio in the third before closing the game with additional runs in the final two innings.

"Middleton is a solid team, and they found the holes," Nicolosi said. "We were not very aggressive at the plate. We were out hit tonight."

Ashten Harrigan led the evening for the Lady Tigers with 14 first-strike pitches along with three strikeouts in four innings of play against the Lady Vikings.

Despite the loss, Nicolosi saw some good things to take away from the game.

"Our defense played very well," Nicolosi said. "We hustled, got dirty going for ground balls and, without a doubt, read and reacted to game situations much, much better."

The coach also credited Floyd's play at short stop as well as Harrigan's pitching abilities.

"I believe we got called out on strikes more in this one game than we have had total in the season," Nicolosi said. "We'll work on that and try to come out more aggressive."

The coach said the game was a way for the team to build on its abilities. He was especially proud of how the Lady Tigers bounced back from their loss to Bishop Kelly two days earlier.

The Lady Tigers traveled to Kuna to face the Lady Kavemen on Tuesday. They return home Thursday for a 5 p.m. game against Caldwell at East Side Park. Mountain Home then travels to Caldwell on Friday for a 5 p.m. contest there.

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