Facing elimination against a higher-ranked opponent, the Douglas baseball team proved ready to face the test Thursday afternoon.
Twice.
The Tigers pulled off a significant upset of the No. 3-ranked Reno Huskies at Reno High School and then turned around to beat No. 2 Galena in the nightcap, keeping their hopes of playing for a regional championship alive.
"It was nuts, just an unbelievable day," Douglas coach John Glover said. "Basically heading into the day I told them we had nothing to lose and that the pressure was on Reno. Most people thought we weren't supposed to beat them, but we knew if we hung in there and played loose we'd have a shot."
Freshman Tyler May pitched five innings of solid ball to keep Douglas in the game. He also hit a home run, the first of his high school career, to help his own effort on the mound.
Senior Chris Kinsley then came on to close out the game, earning the save in a 9-7 win.
"It was just one of those things," Glover said. "We got off to a pretty good start, got some timely hitting and some good pitching and we hung on from there.
"Tyler did a great job and Chris closed it out for us."
In the second game, Kinsley remained on the mound and threw five innings while picking up the 8-7 victory over Galena.
The Grizzlies beat Douglas Tuesday in the opening round of the playoffs, despite a strong start from the Tigers.
Douglas got off to a strong start again Thursday, but wouldn't let go of it this time around.
"It was really the same type of deal," Glover said. "We hit it better today than we have been, and that helped a lot, getting that consistency at the plate.
"It was kind of a momentum thing I think. Once they got going, things just kept snowballing. Now we get a chance to play for a spot in the state playoffs."
Glover noted D.J. Brady, Jordan Hadlock, Phil Mannelly and Roman Davis for their performances Thursday, but said the entire team contributed.
"It was a collective effort," he said. "Everyone had a hand in it on offense."
Douglas faces Galena at 3 p.m. today at Reno High. The winner would meet McQueen, currently ranked No. 1 in the Sierra Nevada Sports Media Poll, Saturday for the regional championship.
"That is a huge task, trying to beat them (Galena) again," Glover said. "The kids are excited though, they'll be ready to go out and play their hardest."