Pack softball off to hot start

McKenna Isenberg and Megan Dortch pitched back-to-back shutouts Sunday, and the Nevada softball team opened the season with a 4-1 mark after wins over East Carolina and Utah Valley at the Red Desert Classic in St. George, Utah.

Nevada opened the tournament with wins over BYU (10-9) and Southern Utah (4-2). The Wolf Pack fell, 11-5, to Idaho State.

Senior Karley Hopkins went 5-for-5 on the day with a double, triple, two RBI and four runs scored to lead the offensive attack for Nevada (4-1), while Megan Sweet combined to go 3-for-6 with three wins and two RBI.

In game one against East Carolina, Hopkins singled to lead off the game and Sweet doubled her in and Nevada never looked back. The Pack scored three in the first and one more in the second before blowing the game wide open with a six-run fourth inning in which 12 batters went to the plate. Former Fallon star Sara Parsons tallied one hit and a run scored.

That offense was more than enough for the freshman Isenberg (2-0), who effectively used the gloves behind her in the five-inning shutout. Isenberg gave up five hits and did not walk a batter in the game. She also did not record a strikeout, getting 10 fly-ball outs and five groundouts while facing just 20 batters.

Against Utah Valley in game two, Dortch was brilliant for the Pack. She tossed a one-hitter as Nevada blanked the Wolverines, 9-0. Dortch walked four and hit a batter, but fanned seven and improving to 2-0 on the year.

Much like the first game, Nevada wasted no time offensively as Hopkins singled and stole second to open it. Sweet and Erin Jones followed with singles and Nevada led 1-0 with two on and nobody out. Later in the first, freshman Kashmir Huckaby had her first a career hit, a two-run single that gave Nevada a 4-0 lead early.

Nevada added four more in the third inning as Danielle WIltz ripped a two-run triple for the big blow in the game. Another run in the fourth inning capped the scoring and Dortch handled the rest.

For the tournament, Parsons went 4-for-16 (.250) with three RBI.

Nevada will be back in action Friday at a tournament in Las Vegas where the Wolf Pack will face Portland State, UTEP, Chatanooga, BYU and Hawaii over three days.