Tigers lose, but still in playoff hunt

The Douglas baseball team suffered through a tough loss to North Valleys Wednesday, 7-3, and then got some help from the Wooster Colts.

Wooster knocked off Spanish Springs to leave Douglas in a tie for the eighth and final playoff spot with the Cougars heading into the final two games of the season.

Douglas still holds the tiebreaker over Spanish Springs due to sweeping the season series earlier in the year.

Spanish Springs finishes with a pair of games against McQueen while Douglas must close out against Reno. Reno and McQueen are both fighting for the Northern 4A regular season title.

"We're in a spot where we are not playing good baseball right now," Douglas coach Bruce Jacobsen said. "It's tough to swallow. We have to battle through it and try to get hot here in the next two days. We basically have to win to get in. We got some help from Wooster today, but now it is on us to get it done."

The loss Wednesday was Douglas' sixth in a row.

"The kids are frustrated, because we've been in some close games and they know they are capable of playing better baseball," Jacobsen said. "It's a matter of someone stepping up and pulling us out of it.

"It's a test to see if we can pull out of this. I know they have it in them."

North Valleys racked up an early 2-0 lead, which Douglas senior Jackson Ketron cut in half with a solo home run.

The Panthers stretched it two 3-1 before Douglas got back-to-back doubles from Chase White and Leo Trebotich to set the score at 3-2.

Out of a one-on, none-out situation, Douglas loaded the bases while expending two outs but left the bases full for the third time in two games.

The score was 4-3 heading into the sixth, but North Valleys put up three runs late to seal the win and complete a two-game sweep.