MINDEN - Facing one of the league's elite pitchers, the Douglas baseball team knew going in it couldn't dig itself into too many holes and hope to get back out.
So when Galena's Ryan Ford belted a two-run run home run in the top of the first inning Thursday afternoon, the Tigers wasted little time answering right back.
Douglas scored four runs on four hits and an error in the bottom of the first and never relinquished the lead from there, claiming a 6-3 win over the Grizzlies at Tiger Field in Minden.
"Every game from here on out is so important," Douglas coach Bruce Jacobsen said. "It's not exactly do or die, but at the same time it is do or die, if that's possible.
"There's a pack of about five or six teams in the middle with similar records and situations to us. Each win will be so important from here on out."
Douglas rattled Galena's Drew Anderson, a top candidate for Northern 4A Pitcher of the Year, early on as Leo Trebotich singled, Kaleb Foster doubled and Cody Begovich singled, giving Douglas two runs on its first three batters.
Jackson Ketron then reached on an error with one out, allowing Begovich to score and Dillon Lopez doubled to bring Ketron around for the 4-2 lead.
"There's no question Drew is one of the best pitchers in the league," Jacobsen said. "He is tough and he didn't have his best stuff early. Putting up that four-spot early on to answer their two-run home run was a big deal.
"He got real good from about the second through the fifth inning. He was throwing the fastball, curveball and changeup for strikes and topping out at about 88 mph. It's good we got the runs when we did."
Indeed, Anderson retired nine consecutive batters between the second and fourth innings.
The Tigers brought a pair of insurance runs across in the bottom of the fifth when Jackson Ketron singled and advanced to third on a pair of passed balls.
Dusty Fisher followed with a double, scoring Ketron, and Weintz singled to bring Fisher around.
Douglas hosts Damonte Ranch Saturday morning at 11 a.m. at Tiger Field.
SOFTBALL
RENO - Douglas overcame a 6-0 deficit with 10 third-inning runs to grab a 14-8 victory over Reno Tuesday afternoon.
Reno scored one in the first and five in the second off Kalee Duryee, who finished with three strikeouts and two walks. She allowed just two runs over the final five innings. Only two of the five runs in the second were earned.
Douglas had nine hits in the 10-run third en route to a 10-6 lead.
Kelly Sonnemann hit two doubles and drove in four runs in the inning, while Katie Chieffo singled home two runs. Illiana Brown contributed a run-scoring double.
Reno cut the lead to 10-8 with two runs in the fifth, but the Tigers answered with four in the top of the seventh.
Duryee sparked the inning with a two-run double.
JV BASEBALL
Carson blanks Reed
Brandon Allen pitched a complete game shutout to lead the Senators.
Danny Guthrie went 3-3 with two RBI.
CARSON-DOUGLAS BASEBALL
GAME CHANGED
The Douglas-Carson baseball game originally scheduled for April 28 at Ron McNutt Field has been changed to April 27 at 7 p.m.
The rivals start their two-game series at Douglas on April 26th at 3:45 p.m.
The game change was initiated by Douglas High School.