After the Galena baseball team escaped Minden with a one-run win on a bases-loaded balk Thursday, it was a pretty good bet Saturday's doubleheader would be a great pair of games.
They were.
Douglas picked up a pair of close wins over the Grizzlies, 6-4 in nine innings and 8-7 in the nightcap, to improve to 5-1 in Sierra League play.
"It was an unbelievable series," Douglas coach John Glover said. "We've talked about from the beginning of the year how in this league, winning the series is going to be the most important thing.
"After losing the first game at home, having to go on the road and take two games was going to be a tall task against a good team like Galena. It was an emotional series and it was big, really big. After three close games like that, the kids were glad to come away with the wins, but I think everyone was pretty tired when it was all done."
In game one, Galena had built a 2-0 lead through three innings before Tanner Thomas belted a two-run home run and Tim Rudnick hit a solo shot on back-to-back at-bats to take the 3-2 lead.
Galena tied the game back up, sending it to extra innings. Douglas put three runs across in the top of the ninth and held off a rally from the Grizzlies in the bottom half to take the win.
Junior Michael Whalin started the game on the mound, striking out seven and walking two in six innings. Kameron Van Winkle took over in the seventh and stuck out one down the stretch to take the win.
Troy Torres had a pair of doubles and an RBI and Jeff Crozier had a triple and an RBI in the game.
In game two, the teams battled back and forth before Douglas put the final run across in the top of the seventh. Rudnick picked up the win in relief, striking out eight and walking one in four innings of work.
He also doubled twice and drove in a run. Tyler May, Thomas and Beau Davis each homered with May driving in two runs and Thomas, Davis, Torres, Crozier and Tyler Hoelzen each driving in one.
Douglas hosts Damonte Ranch Thursday at 3:30 p.m.
