Eureka softball returns to action

A long break for the Lady Vandals softball team, like the boys baseball team, about 21 days, has come to an end.

The girls returned to the softball diamond April 5 for a non-league meeting with Tonopah and April 6 for a league meeting with Mineral County.

The second game with Tonopah was unfinished with no score reported by Gamechanger.com.

However, the first game was a real thriller with the Lady Vandals staying strong in the face of a 15-run third inning onslaught by the Muckers, hanging in there and getting a five-run last-at-bat come-from- behind 21-20 win.

The game was tied at 20 in the bottom of the seventh inning when Bree Hooper laced a 2-2 count single past second base scoring Savannah Sanders with the winning run.

Tonopah doubled the Vandals with the number of hits in the game, 18-9, but Eureka wouldn’t go away, slowing chipping away at the huge double-digit lead the Muckers had after their big third inning which was driven by four girls with singles, four walks and a two-run double.

Eureka put the first four runs on the board with two runs in both the first and second innings.

Then Tonopah exploded with the third, but the Lady Vandals just kept chipping away and eventually able to tie the game at 16 with five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. McKenzie Bradshaw drew a bases loaded walk scoring Sage Borba.

Tonopah regained the lead 20-16 with four in the top of the seventh, but that set the stage for the come-from-behind effort by Eureka in their last at bat.

Eureka used two pitchers in the game. Jenesis Dominguez went two- and-a-third innings. She gave up 15 runs on 10 hits, one strikeout and nine walks. She was replaced by Mikala Talbot who went the rest of the way. She surrendered five runs on eight hits, struck out two and walked five.

The Saturday game with Mineral County was more about the power of the Vandals with a 16-hit attack for 19-6 victory. They opened up with five runs in the first, five in the fourth and nine in the fifth.

Talbot led the team with four RBIs and as the winning pitcher in relief, gave up one run on two hits, struck out five and issued no walks.

The girls (4-2, 2-0) had just one game this week on Thursday, a non-league meeting with unbeaten and defending 2A state champion White Pine (10-0).