Douglas softball sweeps North Valleys

When the Douglas High softball team looks back on the 2005 season two months from now, Saturday's doubleheader at North Valleys just may stick out as the turning point.

Leading up to this weekend, the Tigers had only had one victory against a team with a winning record since losing two of its top players in Brittany Puzey and Kayla Dunn to injuries about a month ago.

That all changed Saturday morning.

Kellei Kizer struck out a whopping 26 batters over two games as the Tigers escaped with 3-1 and 3-2 wins in north Reno.

"I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it - As long as we have Kellei Kizer out there throwing for us, it is going to take a pretty good effort to beat us," Douglas coach Jim Puzey said. "If we can do what we did today and get three runs across, that will do it."

While the Tigers were able to hang that proverbial three-spot on the Panthers, they had to do it with a lot of smoke and mirrors.

In the second game, Douglas scooted a run across in the second inning when Felicia Imelli doubled off the left field wall and Tisha Luken reached on an error, advancing Imelli to third. Skyler Zulian then sacrificed Imelli home.

In the top of the third, Jessie Kizer reached on an error with one out, and Lauren Hoppe looped the ball just over the first baseman's head, where it was dropped by the right fielder for another error. Val Smith then also reached on an error, which brought Jessie Kizer across home plate.

"It just goes to show you that when you make contact, things can happen," Puzey said. "We managed to pressure their fielders and it worked out well. We were opportunistic enough to get the job done today."

North Valleys answered with a run in the fourth when Heather Fisher singled to score Nicholle Ellis. The Panthers tied the game up in the fifth as Ellis singled to score shortstop Ashley Donaldson.

North Valleys' outfielder Cheyenne Cortez had to be taken to the hospital in the bottom of the fifth after she fouled a ball into her face. Her status was not immediately known.

The game remained tied through seven innings, but in the top of the eighth, the Tigers started working their magic again.

Catcher Val Smith drew a one-out walk and then stole second. She advanced to third on a passed ball, and scored the winning run as Imelli reached on an error.

It proved to be all Douglas would need.

"We're to the point now where we are looking at playoff seeding," Puzey said. "We are going to be right in there. Getting a league sweep on the road like this is huge."

The Tigers relied heavily on the powerful right arm of Kellei Kizer all day long.

Kizer managed to work the ball all over the zone with both her fastball and her riseball, which kept the North Valleys bats relatively quiet.

She walked only one and allowed three hits in the first game and walked none in the second. She struck out 16 batters in game two alone, striking out the side in the sixth.

"The inside riseball was working real well for me, and they weren't able to do much with it today," Kizer, who threw 15 innings on the day, said. "These were big wins for us, especially since we lost to Reno earlier in the week. This helped build our confidence a lot."

In game two, Brittany Puzey, who broke her right thumb sliding into first base in mid-March, had her first at-bat since the injury. She was primarily batting one-handed, attempting to bat out of a slap position, and struck out on four pitches. She was also used as a pinch-runner during the game and brought some needed speed to the Tigers' lineup.

The status on Kayla Dunn's knee, which she injured in late-March at the Reed Easter Tournament, is still undetermined. It's suspected she could be back hitting by the time the regional playoffs start in May.

In the first game, Lauren Hoppe went 2-for-3 and drove in two runs to lead the Tigers while Smith drove in the other run for the Tigers.

Jessie Kizer, Smith and Tisha Luken accounted for one hit apiece for the Tigers, and Kizer scored two runs.

Freshman Bridget Maestretti, freshly called up from Douglas' junior varsity team, drew a walk in her first varsity at bat and had a stolen base on the day.