The first game of a crucial Sierra League series went to the Bishop Manogue softball team, by just a hair.
With the tying run and the go-ahead run on base in the top of the sixth inning Thursday afternoon in Reno, Manogue's Cassie Hargrove came on in relief and induced a pop fly to first to end the threat and help secure an 8-7 win.
It was a much closer end than the start as Manogue built a 6-0 lead through the first two innings, mostly manufacturing runs out of thin air as the Miners finished the day with only three hits.
Douglas cut the gap to 6-1 in the top of the third when shortstop Emily Weaver doubled to bring Mia Townsell across, but Manogue stretched it back out to 8-1 in the bottom of the fourth when a pair of runs scored on a blown pick-off attempt.
In the top of the fifth, Townsell reached on an error fielding the ball and moved to second on another error on the throw. Katrina Morgan drove her home with a single.
Douglas broke things open in the top of the sixth as Naomi Roberts hit a one-out triple to drive in Mackenzie Cauley and Brenna White. Weaver doubled to bring Roberts across and later scored on a blown pickoff attempt. Maddy Gilbert reached on a single and scored on a single from Morgan.
That chased Manogue starter Megan Dortch and brought Hargrove in for the save.
Dortch finished the day with six strikeouts and two walks while Douglas' Stephanie Harper struck out nine but walked six.
Weaver and Morgan each collected two hits and two RBIs while Cauley doubled for one of her two hits.
Douglas dropped to 13-11 overall and 9-3 in league play.
