Bolts lose focus in loss to Nevada

BAXTER — Baxter’s softball team struggled with all three phases of the game on Tuesday night.

The Bolts had just four hits at the plate, Nevada cranked out 12 hits during their offensive innings and Baxters defense committed eight errors.

All that added up to an 11-3 win for Nevada during a non-conference road game.

“We have had an issue with lack of focus the past few games, and it continued today,” Baxter coach Crystal Bruntz said. “We need to focus better. Our defense needs to be a lot better, and uur bats didn’t do anything either.”

The game was tied at 3-all after three innings. Nevada (7-18) took the lead for good in the fourth when Addi Vorm hit a grand slam to give the Cubs.

Nevada added four more runs in the fifth, this time taking advantage of four Baxter errors.

“Even with the inning they hit the homer, those are considered hits with the girls who got on before her, but those are balls we should have gotten to,” Bruntz said. “The defense isn’t hustling the way it needs to.”

The Bolts (10-9) scored two of their three runs in the first inning. Maddie Pierce singled, stole second and then successfully got out of a run down on Kaitlyn Headlee’s fielder choice ground ball.

Holly Jessen’s RBI ground out scored Pierce and then Headlee scored on a Nevada error.

Pierce had two hits and two steals in the game, while Jessen had one RBI, one walk and was hit by a pitch. Headlee and Brenna Thomson had the other Baxter hits.

“There is time to fix it, but they have to do it,” Bruntz said. “It was a frustrating game.”

Headlee singled in the third, moved to second when Jessen was hit by a pitch and then moved to third on another Cub miscue. McKenzie Eslinger brought home Headlee on a sacrifice fly to center. The inning ended on that play though after Jessen was called out for leaving second base too early.

Baxter didn’t get a runner past second base the rest of the night and has now lost four of its last six games. Nevada came into the game losers of 10 of its last 11 games.

Brooklyn Jensen out-dueled Sydney Schmidt in the circle. Jensen earned her second win of the season after allowing one earned run on four hits with five strikeouts, two walks and one hit batter.

Schmidt (9-9) took the loss after allowing six earned runs on 12 hits with two strikeouts and one walk.

The Bolts host Colo-NESCO for an Iowa Star Conference game at 5 p.m. on Wednesday in Baxter.