Douglas High third baseman Grayson Kamper makes a backhanded play Tuesday afternoon against Reno.
Photo by Ron Harpin.
Reno High School baseball got the upper hand Tuesday in a 10-1 win over Douglas in Minden.
Douglas scored the first run of the game, but the Huskies answered with two runs in the second, three in the fourth and a five-spot in the seventh to put the Tigers away.
The Huskies, who own a league-best record of 6-1, also had a dominant pitching performance from Mack Andrews, who threw six innings and tallied seven strikeouts.
Young puts pressure on the Huskies early
Thomas Young, who got the start on the mound, led off the game for the Tigers at the plate.
The senior continues to be a force on the base paths after getting hit by a pitch in the bottom of the first.
Young immediately stole second and baited the Huskies to try and catch him at third, but the throw sailed into the outfield allowing Young to scamper home for the game’s opening run.
His two stolen bases in the first gives him 20 total in 15 games this season, the third most in the state as of Tuesday evening.
He got plunked again in his next at-bat in the bottom of the third.
Reno refused to let Young take an extended leadoff the next time around, picking over to first base repeatedly.
As a team, Douglas put together three hits with Aaron Moss, Jackson Ovard and Keegan Freeman each tallying a base knock.
In total, the Tigers struck out 10 times at the plate.
“We talked about having tough at-bats, but I think we just have to clarify what that looks like. Guys were getting emotional and I think we are thinking too much in the box,” said Douglas head coach Jim Tucker.
On the mound, Young was able to pitch his way out of trouble in the first and third innings.
After starting the game with a four-pitch walk and an error, Young buckled down with no outs and runners on second and third.
He recorded his first out with a punch out on a breaking ball.
The senior made an impressive sliding catch in foul ground to record the second out before blowing away the final hitter of the inning with an 0-2 fastball.
In the third, Young threw a 3-2 off speed pitch to start the inning with a K.
Grayson Kamper had a nice snag at third base to record the second out, but the Huskies followed with a walk and a single.
It didn’t seem to bother Young, who got a swing and a miss on strike three, pumping an outside fastball past a Husky hitter.
Reno rebounds quickly
Douglas’ 1-0 lead didn’t last long.
A two-run single in the second let Reno overcome its early deficit.
In the fourth, Young recorded his sixth strikeout, but a walk and a hit-by-pitch prompted a change on the bump.
The Huskies followed with a walk and three singles – two of which didn’t leave the infield, allowing Reno to go up 5-1.
In the seventh, Reno added five runs on five hits and a walk, but also got the benefits of another infield single and an error.
“It’s not for lack of reps, but I think some guys are putting so much pressure on themselves because we have high expectations that sometimes their head gets in the way,” said Tucker. “Looking at Reno, that’s the team you want to become. That’s not going to happen overnight, but we’ve got plenty of opportunities to keep on building.”
UP NEXT: Douglas (11-4, 3-2 in Class 5A league play) gets another tough league matchup Thursday when the Tigers travel to Reed (12-7, 5-2) to take on the Raiders.
(Douglas High shortstop Owen Evans charges a grounder Tuesday afternoon against Reno in a Class 5A league game in Minden. / Ron Harpin)