The Southeast Valley softball team opened their season in Humboldt on Monday night. The Jaguars lost by a score of 7-17 in five innings. 

The Jaguars started the game with hot sticks, scoring two in the top of the first. Sophomore Ellie Nolte got the party started with a leadoff single followed by a sacrifice bunt off the bat of freshman Lauren Eslick. Nolte would score as a result of a triple off the solid bat of fellow sophomore Jordyn Rowley. Junior Maddie Vansickle would score Rowley from third on a fielder's choice, ending the first inning for the Jags. The Wildcats would respond with four runs of their own in the bottom of the first. 

The Jaguar bats went down quietly in the second, but were revived in the third starting with Lauren Eslick’s solo shot over dead center. Following Eslick, Rowley would reach second on an error by the Wildcat center fielder and later score off of Maddie Vansickle’s double up the middle. Sophomore Leilah Olson would bring in Vansickle off a single for the Jaguar’s final run in their half of the inning. The Jags would not score again until the top of the fifth when Olson brought in Rowley and Vansickle would reach home on a fielding error and a fielder’s choice. 

Despite a successful night at the plate with just two combined strikeouts, Southeast Valley softball’s defense proved to be their kryptonite against a heavy hitting Wildcat squad allowing 17 runs on 14 hits and three Jaguar fielding errors. Maddie Vansickle starts the season with one in the L column, facing 16 batters and striking out two. Freshman infielder Chloe Lambert shared time on the mound with Vansickle. Lambert faced 14 batters and struck out two herself. 

The Jaguars softball team is back in action against the Titans from South Central Calhoun on Thursday and on Friday against West Central Valley, both, in Harcourt. The junior varsity team gets the show started at 5:30 followed by a varsity contest.