Short-handed Douglas baseball wins

MINDEN -- You wouldn't have guessed that Douglas' American Legion team played without four of its best players Thursday night.

Pitcher-first baseman Brandon Huff, right fielder Bryan Miller, center fielder Jake Nielsen and third baseman Brandon Silveira missed the contest against the Spanish Springs Bandits. Huff and Miller were fulfilling other baseball commitments, while Silveira and Nielsen were on vacation.

That didn't stop the Tigers. Juniors-to-be Chad Walling, Kyle Luken and Jake Stratton plus sophomore-to-be Jeff Young all had big games to lead Douglas an easy 13-4 win at Tiger Field.

The win upped the Tigers' record to 8-2 heading into today's noon doubleheader against Winnemucca.

Walling went 2-for-4 and drove in four runs, Stratton went 3-for-4, Luken went 2-for-4 and drove in three runs and Young went 2-for-4.

"The young guys got some at-bats," coach John Glover said. "They're learning what they need to do at this level. They're starting to get it.

"Jake Stratton has jumped right in and done a great job defensively and at the plate."

The game was tied at 2 when the Tigers struck for five second-inning runs off Dale Tonjun to take control of the contest.

A double by Young and walks to Stormy Herald and Spike Agosta loaded the bases with no outs. Walling, who had been slumping, hit a two-run single, scoring Young and Herald. After two straight outs, Honer singled home a run to make it 5-2. Luken followed with a two-run double to complete the barrage.

Douglas scored an unearned run in the fourth, and tacked on two more in the fifth to increase the lead to 10-2 thanks to Walling's double to right.

Douglas used four pitchers -- Walling, Jimmy Pierce, Tyson Estes and Luke Rippee, and the quartet allowed only three hits, but walked 10 batters.

Pierce and Rippee pitched two scoreless innings of relief.