Heavy rain, fits of hail and a steady scattering of lightning washed away the Douglas softball team's game with Hug Tuesday afternoon at Lady Tiger Field.
Clear, blue skies gave way to dark clouds about a half an hour before game time and rain began pouring just before the first pitch.
The two teams got in the first half-inning of play but umpires sent both teams to their respective dugouts once the lightning set in.
Parents, coaches and spectators huddled in the Douglas dugout as well while several Lady Tigers took turns dancing around in the rain, which totaled .34 inches by the end of the evening.
Umpires called the game for good after waiting nearly 40 minutes for the storm to clear. The field was soaked to the point where it had been rendered unplayable.
Douglas athletic director Jeff Evans said the teams would attempt to finish the game this afternoon at 3:30 p.m.
Douglas now heads into the toughest portion of its schedule with seven games left in the regular season.
The Tigers have three-games series remaining against No. 3 Reno and No. 5 Wooster, along with the makeup against Hug. Reno leads the Sierra League with a 14-0 record and Wooster is tied with Douglas for third at 10-4.
Carson, Wooster, Douglas and Damonte Ranch are all in the running for the final three playoff spots. Carson currently sits in second place at 11-3 and Damonte Ranch is in fifth with a 7-7 record but the Mustangs have already taken on many of the tougher teams in the league.
Douglas has been on a hot streak as of late, winning nine of its last 11, including its last six against Northern Nevada teams.
At the junior varsity level, the Tigers took down Hug 18-1 in five innings in Reno.
Megan Michitarian, Dorothy Sliva and Chloe Trudell combined to pitch a five-inning one-hitter.
The Tigers scored all of their runs in the first two innings since they agreed to only play defense for the final three innings.
Mackenzie Cauley led Douglas with five RBIs on three hits, including a home run.
Marina Diaz also had three hits, Katie Gettman had two hits and Sliva and Trudell each had one hit.
The Tigers have outscored their opponents 237-22 on their way to a 15-0 record. They will play Reno this weekend.
JV BASEBALL
Douglas won three games at the Reed Easter Tournament last week.
Troy Torres struck out five and scattered three hits in a 6-3 win over Wooster. Tim Rudnick picked up the save in the game, striking out two in two innings.
Tyler Hoelzen had two hits and Jeff Crosier, Ethan Gangwish, Rudnick, Wyatt Graham and Nick Adams each had a hit.
Hoelzen struck out six and allowed one run in an 11-3 win against Reed.
Spike Neri struck out one and allowed one hit in relief.
Gangwish and Crosier had three hits and Graham had two.
Rudnick pitched a complete game in an 8-1 loss to Reno, striking out two in the process.
Gangwish had two hits.
Torres picked up a 7-5 win against Manogue, striking out five and allowing to runs in the process. Hoelzen struck out four in relief.
Rudnick, Adams and Davis had two hits each.
