PORT NECHES — Leave it to the Nederland Lady Bulldogs and Port Neches-Groves Lady Indians to play a 4-hour softball game.
PN-G outlasted its rival Nederland in 11 innings when Callie Jourdan ripped a two-out double to score Rachel Hammersmith from second. The Lady Indians won 6-5.
“This is how you would expect a rivalry game to go,” PN-G coach Jessica Lemoine said.
Monday’s game saw two splendid pitching performances from Nederland’s Madyson Guidry and PN-G’s Britni Hunt. Guidry threw 163 pitches in 10 2/3 innings and gave up six runs, three earned, on 12 hits with 11 strikeouts and one walk. Hunt tossed all innings for PN-G (12-6, 3-1 in District 22-5A) and gave up five runs, two earned, on nine hits with eight strikeouts and one walk.
Nederland (13-8, 2-1 in 22-5A) had problems in the field all game long and finished with six errors.
“That is not indicative of how we play,” Nederland coach Will Mallette said. “I don’t know exactly how many errors we had, but it seemed like eight to me. They [PN-G] are a fast team and any time there is a bobbled ball or bad throw, they are going to take an extra base.”
The Lady Bulldogs took control early with a three-run first inning. Hannah Smith and Hannah Goode both scored when Lindsey Taylor singled to center.
Taylor, who was 4 for 5 with three RBI and a run scored, crossed home plate to make it 3-0 Nederland when Madelyn Daniel singled to center.
PN-G did not take long to respond with three runs in the bottom of the first. Bailey Crorey plated had a three-run single to center to tie the game at 3-3.
Alexis Labure made it 4-3 Lady Indians in the bottom of the third with an RBI single to left that scored Rachel Hammersmith, who was 3 for 6 with three runs Monday.
“It would seem like it would have been easy to get nervous,” Lemoine said. “When you have as much confidence in the players like I do, there is no hole we can’t climb out of. There is just a lot of trust in the kids.”
Mallette also said he knew the game was going to stay close.
“We could have scored 12 runs in the first and we know they are going to tie it up at some point,” Mallette said. “That is just the way our games together go.”
Taylor tied the game in the top of the fifth with a RBI single that scored Smith.
PN-G took the lead again in the bottom of the inning when Crorey reached on an error that allowed Jourdan to score and give the Lady Indians a 5-4 advantage.
The score stayed 5-4 until the top of the seventh.
Goode was hit by a pitch with one out and advanced to second on a fielder’s choice to record the second out.
Taylor then reached first on the second PN-G error of the inning and Goode came in all the way from second to make it 5-5.
Lemoine said she was proud of Hunt and the way she fended off the Lady Bulldogs despite three PN-G errors.
“Nederland is a great team,” Lemoine said. “They have great batters but you have tip your hat to a kid [Hunt] that battled the way she did today.”
PN-G plays Central at Ozen High School at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Nederland plays a home doubleheader Tuesday. The Lady Bulldogs face Baytown Lee at 11:30 a.m. and then take on Central at 1:30 p.m.