Douglas softball eliminated from playoffs

FALLON -- Douglas and McQueen traded clutch hits, great plays and misplays over a two-day period.

McQueen's Jessica Haight fired the last salvo, and the Lancers edged Douglas 9-8 in a loser's bracket game of the NIAA Northern 4A softball tournament Saturday morning.

With one out in the 11th and Jenny Drew at second, Haight singled between third and short. Left fielder Kaycee Wilcks bobbled the ball slightly and Drew slid home with the winning run.

The Lancers advance to the state tourney in Las Vegas and the Tigers will go back and regroup for another run next season. With nearly all their key people returning, the Tigers will go into next season as a heavy favorite in the Sierra League.

"It was a heartbreaker," Douglas coach Rick Smith said. "Overall it was a good year. It gives us something to build on. We're still a fairly young team."

Indeed. Of the nine starters against McQeeun, seven will return. The only two that won't are infielder Cheryl Nicoll and outfielder Ashley Arneson.

Douglas played solid defense for five innings and enjoyed a 7-2 lead.

The roof caved in starting in the sixth. In the final six innings, Douglas made seven errors, leading six unearned runs.

"They were playing tight," Smith said. "They were letting the ball get to them instead of playing the ball.

"The girls haven't been in that situation before. Things started to snowball and then kept going. I didn't have a problem with our offense. You just can't give the other team extra at-bats."

After pounding much-heralded Katie Ward for 11 hits on Friday, the Tigers came out swinging when play resumed in the top of the eighth. Stevie Smith singled and was replaced by Kristi Olsen, who moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Tasha McCann and to third on Jessie Kizer's single to right.

It appeared that it might be a good situation to either steal a base or have Kizer get herself in a rundown in hopes that Olsen could get home. Coach Smith played it straight and the Tigers still almost scored.

Nicoll and Wilcks both lined to third, ending the threat.

"I was trying (hoping) to get a ground ball," Smith said. "I didn't want to send her and possibly get her thrown out. We just needed a ground ball. I'd do the same thing over again."

Ward settled down and retired nine of the last 10 batters she faced to end the game.

Ward's counterpart, Katie Pagen, also pitched well on Saturday after a rough finish on Friday. She fanned four, walked two and gave up four hits over the last four innings.

"Katie pitched real well today," Smith said. "She had a her drop going. They got a couple back-to-back hits and that's what it takes."

Brittany Puzey went 4-for-6, including a check-swing two-run homer that gave the Tigers a 7-2 lead in the fourth. Wilcks finished with three hits and three runs scored.