Douglas High softball wins state tourney opener

RENO — Chloie Pratt, Alyssa Smokey and Haley Doughty slammed home runs to help lead the Douglas Tigers to an 8-5 opening round win against Basic at the NIAA 4A State Softball Tournament on Thursday.

Pratt’s two-run homer in the first inning staked the Tigers to a 2-0 lead, Smokey’s solo shot in the fourth tied it at 3-all and Doughty’s two-run shot ignited a four-run, seventh-inning rally at Bishop Manogue High School.

Douglas (25-11-1 overall record) advanced to the winner’s bracket final of the four-team state tournament and will play Spanish Springs (31-3) today at 2:30 p.m. at Manogue.

In Thursday’s other first round game, Spanish Springs rallied to score three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and then closed out a 7-6 win over Shadow Ridge on Rylee Retzer’s walk-off homer in the eighth.

Amanda Hoffman pitched four-plus innings to pick up the win and Deztiny Vaughan came on to work the final three innings to earn credit for the save. Basic (26-12) finished with eight hits.

Douglas scored four runs in the top of the seventh to take an 8-3 lead. Jasmine McNinch singled on a full-count pitch and then Doughty drove another full-count pitch over the left-center field fence. After two outs, Alyssa Smokey doubled to left field, followed by RBI singles from Hoffman and Kettja Bennett.

“That seventh inning was huge,” Douglas coach John Glover said. “We needed that insurance.”

Hannah Barr, Sanoe Helenihi and Angela Santillanes hit consecutive singles for Basic to load the bases with no outs in the bottom of the seventh. Mikayla Berg hit a chopper through the left side of the infield to drive one run home and another scored on Alyssa Ferguson’s fielder’s choice ground out. Douglas avoided further damage, however, when Hoffman caught a line drive at first base for a game-ending double play.

Hoffman walked Basic’s leadoff hitter in the fifth inning, at which time Glover brought Vaughan in from the bullpen. The sophomore retired three of the next four batters, capped by a swinging strikeout to retire the side.

“I thought she might have been getting a little tired and they were getting to the third time through (the order),” Glover said of his decision to change pitchers. “I have confidence in both of them (Hoffman and Vaughan) ... all three actually (Bennett is the third pitcher).”

Doughty, Pratt, Smokey, Peck, McNinch and Bennett collected two hits each to lead the Tigers. Douglas finished with 13 hits against Basic starter Shelby Basso.

“I thought they did a good job of showing resiliency,” Glover said. “They stuck with it through 21 outs and they finally got through to her (Blasso).”