Nixa hosted Kickapoo in the season and home opener of the 2022 softball season, and it was nothing short of excitement.

Both teams were held scoreless in the first inning but then the runs came scoring.

Kickapoo jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second. 

Nixa responded immediately in their half inning and tied the game at one, as Rylee Harper scored Mylee Harper with a line-drive single up the middle.

Kickapoo's two-run homer in the third gave them the lead again.

Two walks by Natalia Pharris and Pheobe Gardner brought up Sara Sweaney. Sweaney hit the first of her two home runs with a blast over the center field fence giving Nixa the 4-3 lead.

The following inning the first baseman did it again. This time with the base loaded. Rylee Harper walked, Pharris was hit by a pitch, Paige Garetson singled to center, and Gardner was also hit, allowing the host to extend their lead to 5-3.

Nixa upped its lead to 6-3 with a Chloe Krans fly ball to right, and next came Sweaney. With the count at 1-1, Sweaney smashed the ball over the right field wall for a grand slam, and Nixa had a commanding 10-3 lead.

Starting pitcher Maddy Meierer tossed three scoreless innings after Nixa's six-run fourth.

In the bottom of the sixth, Krans hit a solo HR and Meierer then used her bat to provide additional run support heading into the final inning. She sent the balling flying over the left-field fence for a solo HR, extending Nixa's lead to 12-3.

Kickapoo scored two runs in the seventh and a ground ball to Meierer by the Chiefs with two outs concluded the game. 

Meierer pitched a complete game with three strikeouts, allowing four earned runs and three walks, along with two hits offensively.

Nixa totaled nine hits in the game, led by Sweaney's monster day at the plate featuring three hits, including 2 HRs and 7 RBIs.

The 12-5 win makes it two consecutive against Kickapoo and the victory will be critical in the district seedings.

After a four-day break, Nixa (1-0) hosts Bolivar on Aug. 31 for a 4:30 p.m. first pitch.