Prep roundup: Reed softball ousts Douglas

Prep roundup: Reed softball ousts Douglas

BY JOEY CRANDALL

Nevada Appeal News Service

After staying alive against Damonte Ranch to start the day, the Douglas High softball team just didn't have enough left in its tank to keep its season going against Reed on Friday.

The Raiders took a 10-0 victory in five innings, bringing the Tigers' season to an abrupt end after Douglas posted an impressive 6-0 win over Damonte earlier in the day.

"It's not the way we wanted it to end," Douglas coach Andy Mitchell said. "They played great this morning, it was a great game on both sides and the kids hung in there and battled.

"But it's a tough thing to do, to win one and come right back and try to keep it going. We hung everything on [pitcher] Stephanie Harper's shoulders and she did a phenomenal job, but it was just a long couple of days."

Reed scored two runs in the first, added two in the third and sent one more across in the fourth but the Raiders broke the game open with a five-run fifth that featured a grand slam.

Douglas managed just four hits off two Reed pitchers and never got a runner past second base.

"[Chelsea] Cohen was hitting her spots and we were chasing pitches," Mitchell said. "We were behind in a lot of counts. It's tough to get anything going when you're down 0-2 and that's what we were facing a lot today."

The loss was a far cry from the day's opener, which saw Douglas hold a 1-0 before a Katrina Morgan grand slam in the bottom of the sixth put the game away.

"We were hitting the ball well and Katrina came back with that home run, it was good," Mitchell said.

The home run was Morgan's third in as many games during the tournament. She finished the tournament with seven RBIs.

Douglas also got RBIs from Mackenzie Cauley and Morgan Blomstrom in the win. Cauley and Harper each doubled as well.

Harper struck out three while throwing a five-hit shutout against Damonte.

"She pitched four games in two days, so she was losing a little velocity against Reed," Mitchell said. "But Reed is a great team. You have to give them credit."

Douglas finished the season with a 26-7 record overall.

"I'm really proud of this team," Mitchell said. "They worked hard all year long. Top to bottom it was a great team and we were able to interchange a lot of people. Just a great group of kids."

3A SOFTBALL

LOWRY 6, DAYTON 3

Lowry scored four runs in the second inning to grab a win over the Dust Devils in the opening game of their best-of-three Northern 3A playoff series at Dayton.

The series continues today at 10 a.m., and Dayton coach Dusti Houk will send Mackenzie Cole to the mound for what she hopes will be two games.

"As far as I'm concerns, I told her she has 14 innings to pitch," Houk said.

Houk said that overconfidence played a big part in the opening loss. The Dust Devils beat Lowry four times in one week earlier this year.

"When you look at everything, we were on an eight-game winning streak," she said. "When you win that many you get a little more confident than you should."

Sierra Barnwell was the victim of Lowry's big second inning. She allowed four hits and four runs, three of which were earned.

Dayton cut the lead to 4-1 in the fifth when Melissa Coyle singled and scored on a throwing error.

Lowry made it 6-1 in the fifth with two more runs.

Dayton added two in the seventh on run-scoring hits by Cole and Breann DeHaven.

Cole pitched well in relief of Barnwell, striking out nine and allowing two hits in her five innings of work.

3A BASEBALL

DAYTON 12, LOWRY 2

Cory Yoder stuck out 14 batters to lead the Dust Devils to victory in a game cut to six innings because of the mercy rule.

Tim Doyle led off the bottom of the first with a home run and Brandon Aguilera added three hits, including a home run, and five RBI. Ryan Ransdell was 2-for -4 with two RBI for Dayton.

Game 2 of the series begins today at 10:00 a.m. at Dayton High School.