Pahranagat’s Traci Strong prepares to receive the ball at second base to make a tag on Eureka’s Amanda Katzenberg in their games on Saturday at the Panther Invitational tournament. Eureka won both contests 7-4 and 12-8. (Dave Maxwell photo)
Pahranagat Valley girls softball won the first two games in their Panther Invitational tournament last weekend, but then ended up losing twice to northern Division IV powerhouse Eureka.
Taylor Anderson went 2-for-3 with two doubles and scored three runs to help the Vandals hold off the Panthers 12-8 in the championship game.
Eureka jumped out to a 10-1 lead with five runs in each of the first two innings.
Pahranagat came back with five in the third and two more in the fifth, but could not close the gap, despite having more hits than the Vandals, 7-4.
Alamo opened the four-team tournament with a win over the Moapa Valley JVs that they had to hold on to at the end. PVHS had a 10-5 lead in the fifth inning, when Moapa scored five to tie the game at 10. However, the Panther girls got two runs in the bottom of the fifth to take the win 12-10.
Later Friday evening, Pahranagat faced the Faith Lutheran JVs and had too much offense for the Crusaders, outscoring them 10-3 on the strength of 13 hits. Kennedy Huntsman, Brook Higbee and Sarah Prince all had two hits apiece and Cheyenne Harris and Jamie Hansen had two runs batted in.
Saturday’s games were both against Eureka. The two teams had played in the 2013 state championship with the Panthers winning 13-3.
In the first game, Eureka had a six run second inning. “It was even as far as hits went,” said Alamo coach Mike Sparrow. Each team had three hits. “The real difference was we gave up some free passes, walks and hit batters,” he said. Another factor were the eight errors committed by the Panthers. Eureka committed only four.
The Vandals had wins over Moapa Valley JVs and Faith Lutheran JVs 21-1 and 2-1, before playing Pahranagat back-to-back.
Sparrow said he feels very strongly the teams will see each other again in the state tournament in Reno in May.
Pahranagat had a double-header with The Meadows in Alamo this past Tuesday and won the first game 13-5. The second game was a JV game shortened to three innings, no score given.
This Friday PVHS (3-2) hosts Tonopah in two non-league games at 1 and 3 p.m. They play at Lincoln on March 25
