Heading into the season, Douglas softball coach Andy Mitchell said in order for his team to have success, the pitchers would have to throw strikes, the defense would have to make fundamental plays and the offense would have to come up with some timely hitting.
The Lady Tigers got a bit of all three Thursday afternoon as they picked up an 8-4 win over rival Carson in the league opener for both teams in Minden.
Douglas got the distance it needed from its offense with four runs in the first three innings.
"Carson is a team that will be fighting for the league title," Mitchell said. "We're really happy to come out with a win against them."
It was those first three innings, during which Carson managed just two of its eight hits on the day hits, that proved to be the difference.
"We're a good hitting team," Carson coach Scott Vickery said. "We're starting to find our bats, and we were hitting some lasers at people early on there, they were just in position to make the play.
"As the game went on, we started finding some gaps and stringing some hits together. There were some nerves today early on and we were a little tight, but that faded as the game went on. Hopefully we'll be a little looser when we play in Carson on Saturday.
Douglas sophomore Chelsea Fent struck out four and walked two while scattering six hits and allowing three runs to pick up a win in her Sierra League debut.
"We're extremely happy with the way she pitched today," Mitchell said. "She played with a cold and we were kind of going inning by inning to see how long she would go. The defense did a great job behind her. They made the plays and took a lot of pressure for her."
Douglas jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first as Emily Weaver led off with a single and Maddy Gilbert reached on an error. Morgan Blomstrom hit a one-out double down the third-base line to bring Weaver and Gilbert home and Blomstrom came around on a sacrifice fly from Becca Trute.
Weaver finished 4-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored and an RBI while Blomstrom finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored, a double, a home run and four RBIs.
The Tigers extended their lead to four in the bottom of the third when Trute hit a home run over the right field fence.
Carson pitcher Daria Leid led off the top of the fourth with a double to right and Morgan Kleine, running for Leid, came around to score on a single from Lisa Yamamoto.
Leid led the Senators at the plate going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and the double. Jocelyn Young went 3-for-4 with two runs scored.
"Daria's working with a hurt foot and she battled through that today," Vickery said. "But she hit the ball pretty well."
Leid finished with two strikeouts and no walks while allowing six runs and junior Christina Gallegos struck out two, walked none and allowed two runs in relief in her first Sierra League action.
"Christina held her own out there," Vickery said. "Douglas has a great lineup and she did pretty well in her first league game as a varsity pitcher."
Carson cut the score to 6-3 in the top of the fifth on a two-run single from Leid but Douglas pulled back out with Blomstrom's leadoff homer in the bottom of the fifth.
For the day, the Tigers pounded out 15 hits.
"I was really happy with our offense," Mitchell said. "We had a good approach at the plate. There were a few bunts we didn't get down, but we can adjust to that. We hit the ball well."
Katrina Morgan had a double and an RBI for Douglas, Trute had a pair of RBIs and Nikki Chavez and Amanda Caras each went 2-for-3 at the plate.
For the Senators, Lindsay Ashbaugh and Yamamoto each had an RBI.
The two teams will meet up again Saturday at 10 a.m. for a doubleheader in Carson City.
