Tigers recover from Navajo loss with ‘solid performance’ against Grandfield-Temple

STERLING – Early mistakes in the field and on the mound allowed Navajo to coast to a 9-3 win over Sterling on Monday, but the Lady Tigers rebounded with a 6-0 victory over Grandfield-Temple the following day.

“We started off a little slow and made mistakes early in that first game,” head softball coach Marty Curry said. “And we didn’t hit like we’re capable of.”

Navajo tallied three runs in the first inning, four in the second and two insurance runs in the seventh. Starting pitcher Morgan Curry was tagged with the loss after pitching two innings. Kalleigh Budd pitched the final four innings in relief.

However, 24 hours can make a big difference.
On Tuesday, Sterling coasted to its 6-0 win over Grandfield-Temple as Curry pitched seven innings, allowed two hits and registered four strikeouts.

Sterling swung the bats better as freshman Ellie Pierce went 2-for-4 with four RBIs; Lacy Spence was perfect with three hits on three plate appearances while Curry and Ashlyn Clift each clubbed solo home runs to round out the scoring. Spence also scored three runs.

“We pitched pretty well on Tuesday and overall it was a solid performance,” Curry said.

Sterling, 1-1, plays in the Central High Tournament this weekend and then heads to Elgin for an Aug. 15 matchup followed by another road game at Fletcher on Aug. 16. Sterling returns home to play Binger on Aug. 18.