Comets set for Nationals

Wins have been tough to come by recently for the Nevada Comets 16-and-under fast-pitch softball team.

Head coach Jim Puzey believes that will change this week when the Comets travel to Midland, Texas for the Amateur Softball Association National Championships. Pool play began Tuesday, and the double-elimination portion of the 126-team event begins today.

The Comets, who have seven Douglas High players on the roster, qualified early for the national event when they won a tournament in Bullhead City, Arizona in May. They won a tourney at Incline Village, and then placed third in a tournament in Las Vegas. However, they went 0-6 in Colorado and 2-2 in an 18-and-under tournament in Elk Grove, Calif.

"The last 10 days we've gotten markedly better," said Puzey, who was recently hired as Douglas High's new softball coach. "We're in a position to make a lot of noise in this tournament."

And, the Comets have the hitters that can deliver. Puzey is counting on his offense, especially from Kayla Dunn, Brittany Puzey, Valerie Smith, Katie Stevens (Wooster), Stevie Smith and Alicia Kraft (Galena). Valerie Smith was hit in the jaw by an errant throw in the last tourney, and Stevie Smith suffered a concussion, but Puzey expects them to play.

The elder Puzey admitted that qualifying early may have put his team in a cruise-control mode. He said the intensity has been lacking at times.

"We played poorly in Colorado," he said. "There's no such thing as an excuse, but this was the first time five of the girls had been in a situation like that (playing in such a competitive tournament). We were only out of two games. We were ahead in four of the six games going into the fifth inning.

"We didn't catch the ball in critical spots (in Colorado). If you're going to make an error, you hope it's with two outs and the bases loaded, not with runners on second and third. Brittany didn't throw hardly at all, and we had to send Kayla and Katie out there four days in a row. They haven't had to do that in three months."

At Elk Grove, the Comets lost 4-3 to the California Breeze in their pool opener, and then rebounded with two straight wins. They lost their first game on Sunday 4-1.

Puzey knows his team is better than it has showed in recent tournaments, and he believes they will bounce back.