Tonopah softball started their season over the weekend with four games on Friday and Saturday.
Over the four games Marcie Strozzi (11) and Taylor Thomas (4) both scored six runs each and Gabrielle Strozzi (5) scored five. But this only gave the Muckers a single win.
Game one
Tonopah played a home game against the Carlin Railroaders that left the Muckers unable to score more than two runs. In the bottom of the first inning the Muckers got ahead by a run from Tabitha Thomas (1).
At the top of the second inning, the Railroaders were able to tie the game and load the bases. The Railroaders were able to just talk across the home plate twice before a player hit the ball in the back left field to allow Carlin to score three runs in just one play.
The Railroaders were not done yet – they scored 15 points until a player hit a home run and added three more runs to the score sheet, bringing the score to 18-1 before they switched sides, but that wasn’t enough for the Muckers as they weren’t able to score a single run.
In the bottom of the third inning Strozzi was able to score a second run for the Muckers to end the game 18-2.
Game two
The Muckers started to see their luck turn around when they played the Laughlin Cougars in Laughlin.
In the bottom of the first inning, the Cougars already had three runs under their belt. The Muckers were able to pick up five runs by the pitches from Laughlin due to hitting the batter or throwing balls.
The Muckers took the lead 10-3 by the end of the first inning.
Both teams scored 3 points each in the second inning and in the third and fourth inning they both scored a run. The game ended after the fifth inning with a final score of 14-7, giving the Muckers the win.
Game three
A close game against the Wells Leopards was played at home on Saturday.
After Thomas and Alyssa Maurer (6) scored two runs, the Muckers were able to start to load up all the bases before Strozzi was up to bat and got two more runs on the board. By the end of the first inning, the Muckers were ahead 9-2.
Wells slowly started to catch up as the Muckers stopped scoring points after the first inning. The Leopards scored three runs in the second inning and in the third inning they only scored one run, which brought the score to 9-6.
The Muckers were their own worst enemy in the fourth inning, where the pitcher threw multiple balls that allowed the Leopards to take advantage of the situation. By the time the Leopards were a run away from tying, the team ended up hitting the ball and taking the lead.
The Muckers lost 10-9.
Game four
The Round Mountain Knights were also able to get the better of the Muckers as the Knights were able to double Tonopah’s score on Saturday.
By the second inning, the Knights were only ahead by one run, but by the third inning the Knights were able to add five runs to their score, meanwhile Tonopah was still not able to add a run to their scorecard.
Round Mountain wasn’t going to allow the Muckers to get too close to beating them and they scored a total of nine runs at the top of the fifth inning. The Muckers were unable to catch up by scoring another 10 runs, but were able to score two more runs, adding another loss for the Muckers with a final score of 15-6.
The Muckers will play against Mineral County (0-4) in their next game at 1 p.m. March 12 in Tonopah. The Serpents have yet to have a win this season, but last season the team finished in seventh place in the 1A Northern league.