As good as the Reed High softball team’s offense looked in an 11-run romp over Reno Thursday, it looked equally as bad during a shutout loss in Game 1 of Friday’s doubleheader. That left Thursday’s nightcap to decide which team would win the series between the two traditional northern Nevada prep powers.

A 10-run fourth-inning made all the difference for Reed as its offense exploded to lead the east Sparks school to a 13-3 Game 2 triumph. Prior to the outburst, Reed had managed just one run in 10 innings Friday against Reno. Reed had been handed a 6-0 loss in the first game of Friday’s twin bill.

“We didn’t do what we were supposed to do in that first game. We had to fight in the second game. It kind of turned out our way so I’m excited about that,” Reed coach Ray Charles said.

Reed trailed 3-1 when it came up in the bottom of the fourth in Game 2. That’s when its offensive lumber awoke from its Friday slumber. After Reno retired the first two Reed hitters in the fourth, the next 12 Raiders reached safely. Ten of them circled the sacks as Reed broke the game open.

Sydney Jones started the big inning with a double. Chivaun Landeros followed with an RBI single. Corey Gammon walked and Tia Wunder laced a two-run single. Erica McKenzie proceeded to rip a run-scoring double, giving Reed a 5-3 lead.

The Raiders weren’t done. Brooke Silva singled home McKenzie and Chelsea Cohen responded by blasting a two-run homer. Reed continued to pour it on as Pasley singled and Alex Corona reached on an error. Jones, who started the rally, singled in Pasley and Landeros plated Corona with a single.

Reed put the 10-run mercy rule into effect by posting its final two runs in the bottom of inning five. Wunder singled. McKenzie was hit by pitch and Silva singled to load the bases. Pasley knocked out a two-run single to end the lopsided affair.

“They played good defense and I didn’t think we had a good approach at the plate for a while,” Charles said. “Finally we figured it out. (Reno pitcher Rachel) Durham was hitting her spots, so give her credit. It took us a while to get going, but it turned out good for us.”

Cohen picked up the win in the circle for Reed. She pitched all five innings of the shortened contest, striking out four and walking two. Cohen, Reed’s ace right-hander who has committed to play college softball at Arkansas, had walked only two opposing hitters all year before Friday.

Reed’s first run in Game 2 came after McKenzie crushed a solo homer in the bottom of the first.

The first game was all Reno. The Huskies broke a 0-0 tie by scoring four runs in the sixth inning. Haley Medeiros and Sam Puzey singled to start the damage. The duo moved up on a Carly Corthell sacrifice bunt and a walk to Nicole Rahming loaded the bases with Huskies. Marissa Cates singled in two runs and then two more Huskies runs came home after a Reed error in right field off the bat of Heather Barker.

Leading 4-0, Reno added two more runs in the seventh. Medeiros and Puzey again singled to initiate the Reno rally. Both scored after a Rahming sacrifice fly and two more Reed errors.

Durham shut down the Raiders’ offense. She struck out six and walked only one while scattering five Reed hits.

Reed did out-hit Reno in the opener, 5-4, but could not cluster much together to score any runs. The Raiders had a chance to grab a lead in the fourth. With the teams locked up in a scoreless tie, Cohen doubled with one out and Pasley singled. Unfortunately for Raiders fans, the two runners were stranded as Durham recorded a strikeout and induced a pop out, nixing the threat.

Destinee Levesque was the tough-luck pitching loser for Reed. Only two of Reno’s six runs were earned. She struck out nine, but did walk six in the losing effort.

The Game 1 loss snapped Reed’s 19-game winning streak.. The Raiders improved 23-3 overall and now sit 11-1 in High Desert League play. The RHS crew gets six days off before it returns to action in an HDL series against two-time defending 4A state champion Spanish Springs next weekend.