The Battle Mountain High School softball team took on the top team in the Division III North and dropped three games to its rival Pershing County.
The Lady Mustangs grabbed game one 17-7 on Wednesday, April 27, in Battle Mountain. The series moved to Lovelock on Saturday and Pershing County swept the doubleheader 14-4 and 19-9.
The Lady Longhorns are 7-8 in the Division III North and 11-12 overall. Battle Mountain is in fourth place in the league standings behind Pershing County, Yerington and West Wendover.
PCHS gets passed BMHS
The first game of the series was close for the first three innings of play. Each team scored a single run in the first inning. Pershing County took a 2-1 advantage in the top of the second and added two more in the third to go in front 4-1.
Battle Mountain plated two runs in the bottom of the third inning to close the gap to 4-3. That was as close as the Lady Longhorns got, as the Lady Mustangs came to life with 11 runs in the top of the fourth inning to blow the contest open. Pershing County led by as many as 14 runs at 17-3, before Battle Mountain rallied for four runs in the bottom of the fifth.
The Lady Longhorns left the bases loaded and could not prevent the mercy-rule loss.
Mustangs earn win over Longhorns
Pershing County picked up from where they left off in Battle Mountain. The Lady Mustangs scored seven runs in the first inning in Saturday’s opening game and never looked back.
Battle Mountain closed the gap to 7-3 in the top of the third inning, but Pershing County responded with two runs in the third to go in front 9-3. The Lady Longhorns got as close as 9-4, but Pershing County plated five runs in the sixth inning to end the game on the 10-run mercy rule.
PCHS finishes sweep
It appeared Battle Mountain might be poised to steal the finale in the series. The Lady Longhorns scored two runs apiece in the first and second innings to go in front 4-0.
However, Pershing County responded with 11 runs in the second inning and seven more in the third to go in front 18-5. Battle Mountain plated five runs in the fifth inning to keep the game going. Pershing County scored a single run in the sixth to close out the contest.
Battle Mountain rounds out its regular season at home this weekend. The Lady Longhorns host Incline on Friday at 4 p.m. and a doubleheader on Saturday at 11 a.m.
