RENO - For the second consecutive game, the Douglas baseball team struggled to get its bats going early, came back with a rally late and saw a win slip away in the final inning.
Damonte Ranch got a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh to break a tie and walk away with a 4-3 win Tuesday afternoon. The Mustangs beat the Tigers 3-2 in extra innings on Saturday, making for a season series sweep.
"It was real similar to Saturday's game," Douglas coach Bruce Jacobsen said. "We just didn't put the ball in play a whole lot for the first five innings. We didn't come to play early on and that's something we have to remedy.
"We have to have a better approach earlier in games instead of scattering late."
Damonte got a run in the first and scratched two more across in the fourth for the 3-0 lead while Mustangs pitcher Patrick Wolfe kept the Tigers off balance.
"He's a real good pitcher, just a lefty with a funky deliver that throws three pitches for a strike," Jacobsen said. "He had us going for the first five innings.
"The big hit has just been eluding us for three out of the last four games. We're in a bit of a rut at the plate. If we can break out of it, get some momentum going, we have a real good chance to move up in the standings these last two weeks."
Douglas scored once in the sixth and tied the game up with a two-run seventh before Damonte ended the game with the last-frame heroics.
"Dalton Grisell came on for us and threw three scoreless innings in relief," Jacobsen said. "That was real good to see. He hasn't pitched since the first week of the season, and he did well for us today."
Grisell gave way to fellow sophomore Cole Peck, who threw another two scoreless.
Senior Jackson Ketron came on to close the game on two days rest and took the hard-luck loss.
"He gave us a chance," Jacobsen said. "For him to come back after throwing 100 pitches on such short rest, he took the loss, but it wasn't because of a lack of grit. He just laid it out there and did whatever he could for us."
Douglas next hosts Carson Thursday at 3:45 p.m.
