RENO - D.J. Brady was right on the spot twice Saturday for the Douglas baseball team as the Tigers took an 8-7 victory at Galena.
With Galena's J.D. Peters on second and the score tied at seven in the top of the seventh, the Grizzlies' Jordan Arnold laced a single into shallow left field which looked good enough to bring in the go-ahead run.
Brady, already charging in from left field, scooped the ball up and in one motion sent a rocket in to catcher Kyle Luken in time to tag Peters out and preserve the tie.
Brady's throw opened up a unique situation for the Tigers. Although the game was played at Galena's home field, Douglas was the designated home team, as predetermined by the Reno High tournament format.
With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Douglas' Jordan Hadlock drew a walk and Chad Walling singled with two outs to put runners on first and second for Brady.
Brady took the first pitch deep to right center, which brought Hadlock home for the game-winner.
"We were lucky to get out of here with that win," Douglas coach John Glover said. "We didn't play very well, we had a lot of errors and a lot of mistakes.
"D.J. did a great job. We like to think of him as an anchor defensively and he is third in the lineup (on offense). We expect good things out of him this year. He's just a great athlete."
Douglas rallied from a 2-0 deficit, tying the game with a two-run fourth, and taking the lead with a three-run fifth.
Each team scored two runs in the sixth and Galena put up three runs in the seventh before Brady's throw to home stopped the rally.
"To see that kind of fight this early is good," Glover said. "We had to get a run in the seventh, and to be able to do that, we'll take that anytime, March or June.
"We don't expect them to be great early, but we do expect them to get better day by day."
Douglas got a solid performance on the mound from Chris Balcom, a sophomore picking up his first varsity start Saturday. He struck out three, walked three and gave up two runs on five hits through five innings.
"We weren't really sure how that was going to go," Glover said. "He's a sophomore and he really settled in and pitched a good game. We were very happy with his efforts.
"This is a hard park to pitch in. Anything top right field is dangerous. By the end of the second, beginning of the third, Chris really started to throw that first strike more consistently. That's key in high school. If you can get two pitches over for strikes, you're in good shape."
Brian Webb picked up the win in relief for the Tigers, striking out one in two innings.
Walling, Kyle Luken and Jimmy Pierce each had two hits for the Tigers, and Luken and Pierce each doubled in the game. Pierce led the team with two RBIs as well.
Galena got two doubles from Andrew Ferguson and two RBIs from Justin Norvick. Shane Kochenmeister went 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI as well.
Galena freshman Jacob Anderson pitched a solid game in his first start, striking out four and keeping Douglas scoreless through three innings. Ryan Locke took the loss in relief.
n Joey Crandall can be reached at jcrandall@recordcourier.com or at (775) 782-5121, ext. 212.
DOUGLAS 8, GALENA 7
Galena1001023--7113
Douglas0002321--8105
Anderson, Locke (6) and Diaz. Balcom, Webb (6) and Davis, Luken (6). WP: Webb (1-0). LP: Locke. SO: Anderson 4, Balcom 3, Webb 1. BB: Balcom 3, Anderson 4, Locke 3.
Galena hitting: Norvick 2-4, Ferguson 2-4, Azzam 1-3, Maupin 1-1, Kochenmeister 3-3, Peters 1-1, Arnold 1-2. 2B: Norvick 1, Ferguson 2, Kochenmeister 1, Peters 1. RBI: Norvick 2, Ferguson 1, Kochenmeister 1, Peters 1.
Douglas hitting: Agosta 1-5, Walling 2-3, Brady 1-1, Luken 2-2, Mannelly 1-3, Pierce 2-2, Whalin 1-4. 2B: Luken 1, Pierce 1. RBI: Agosta 1, Brady 1, Luken 1, Pierce 2, Whalin 1.
Records: 2-0-1.
