Douglas baseball wins fifth straight, rolls McQueen

Douglas High School baseball is back to its winning ways after a 12-2 win over McQueen Saturday in five innings.

The result is the Tigers fifth win in a row, including four consecutive league wins.

Patient at-bats allowed Douglas to press on the base paths as nine walks kept the Lancers on edge on defense.

After plating three runs in the first, Douglas followed with nine runs in the second inning to break the game open.

Owen Evans was 2-for-4 with three RBIs in the win, including a single to the left side in the second inning that scored two of the Tigers’ nine runs in the frame.

“I feel way confident (compared) to last year,” said Evans. “I think this new coaching staff helps build the confidence we need at the plate.”

Evans has been red-hot at the dish, during the Douglas’ five-game winning streak.

The senior infielder is 10-for-18 in the five wins with 12 RBIs and a home run.

“When I go up there, I don’t think about anything other than confidence,” said Evans. “My approach is always right side, instead of pull. I throw my hands out there and let them work.”

After his RBI knock in the second, Jackson Ovard followed with an RBI double, ending the game 3-for-4.

Jake Davis and Grayson Kamper both drew a pair of walks while catcher Jeffrey Peters had an RBI hit in first inning before walking in each of his next three at-bats.

(Douglas High’s Owen Evans steps over the second base bag to make a throw to first base for a put out. Evans went 2-for-4 with three RBIs in a 12-2 win over McQueen Saturday. / Ron Harpin)

Freeman solid on the mound

Senior hurler Keegan Freeman said he didn’t feel like he had his best stuff Saturday, but still limited McQueen to two runs over five innings.

Freeman finished his day with four strikeouts, getting a punch out in every inning except the first.

“I felt off today, but was able to stay in there and throw strikes,” said Freeman.

The senior said he likes to set up his opponents with his fastball before mixing-and-matching off-speed pitches.

Of course, he’s comfortable pitching opponents backwards, too, if need be.

Freeman, who added he prefers to not feel any tightness when throwing, now sports a 2.59 ERA in 27 innings of work.

“When I can’t feel my body and it’s loose,” said Freeman. “I felt a little tight up in the shoulders today. I wasn’t able to stride down the hill as far as I wanted too.”

He helped himself out, drawing a pair of walks and coming around to score a run in the second inning.

In the field, Thomas Young helped out his fellow senior, laying out for a diving catch in left-center field for the final out of the first inning.

The Tigers are 7-4 in Class 5A North league play this year and are looking to separate themselves from a thicket of teams in the upper-half of the league.

“We had that five-game hump in the middle where we weren’t really bringing it all together. I think we’re all confident that the season can go where we want it to go after that,” said Freeman.

Douglas will play four of its last five league games on the road, starting at Galena (15-5, 8-3) Tuesday.

The Tigers still have matchups with Reno (16-8, 10-1) and Reed (14-10, 7-5) while playing one final regular season contest against McQueen (12-11, 6-6) and Spanish Springs (9-14, 3-9), as well.