The first two games of the year were rough for the Joliet West softball team, no doubt. Lopsided losses to Sandburg and Huntley had them searching for answers.

The first three innings of Thursday’s game against Joliet Catholic, the Tigers were still searching. Then the bottom of the fourth came around and they seemed to find the answer.

A few, in fact.

A three-run triple by Laci Cole was just the play the Tigers needed to boost their confidence and put them on solid footing. The Tigers wound up scoring six runs in the inning en route to a convincing 6-2 victory over the Angels.

Joliet West (1-2) opened the year with a 16-8 loss to the Eagles and followed it up with a 24-2 defeat against the Red Raiders. It’s obviously very early, but to say the Tigers were in need of a spark would be more than fair.

The pitching performance of Olivia Horn (4 strikeouts, no earned runs in four innings) provided some kindling, but it was Cole’s triple that started the fire. Shortly after Macey Gorsch tied the game up by scoring on an error, Cole’s big hit with no outs scored Mackenzie Mielke, Emi Catlin and Ella Featherston to put the Tigers up 4-1.

Those weren’t the final runs of the inning, but it was exactly what Joliet West needed to shake things up on its home field.

“I was just trying to put the ball in play and score a run,” Cole said. “I just wanted to help my team out. I felt no pressure. I was pretty loose coming up knowing my teammates were going to help me out.”

The scoring wasn’t done, though, nor was Cole’s the only triple of the inning. Caitlin Jadron lined up and immediately got a triple of her own to score Isla Nitsche, who was pinch running for Cole. A bunt by Mallory Crisafulli the next at bat scored Jadron and made it 6-1.

Joliet Catholic (0-1) managed to put a run on the board the next inning when Callan Kinsella scored on an error, but the Angels couldn’t get any closer as the Tigers closed it out.

“We have a lot of underclassmen,” JCA coach Tina Kinsella said. “We have two returning starters from last year’s squad. The rest are either freshmen or first-year varsity players who are underclassmen. It’s going to take some time for them to get acclimated to the speed of the game.

“That’s going to come with experience. ... They’ll just have to continue to work to get caught up to the speed of varsity.”

Joliet Catholic’s first run came in the opening inning when Ella Nurczyk’s RBI single scored Lexi Rezzardi.

While the big hits in the sixth were critical and Horn combined with Gabriela Juarez for a solid day in the circle, a defensive stand in the top of the fourth helped keep the Tigers in the game.

Nurczyk led off with a single just before Samantha Wright was walked. A single by Julia Simmons loaded the bases and put Joliet West in a bind. After a meeting on the circle, Horn and the defense stepped up, resulting in a foul out, a strikeout and a groundout to keep the Angels off home.

“I think that was really big,” Horn said. “Knowing my team was behind me (in the circle) I knew we were going to get those outs. I had full confidence those girls weren’t going to score.”

Next up for West is a Saturday date with Beecher. Joliet Catholic’s next contest is Friday at Morris.