Two questionable calls involving balls down the line possible cost the Carson Cardinals baseball team its biggest win of the summer.
The Cardinals battled the Central California Pirates, an all-star team made up of players from Central California, evenly before losing 10-9 in 10 innings on Friday in Reno. The Cardinals were coming off a 13-7 win over the Nevada Rangers.
The Cardinals will need a win over the Seattle Bombers at 10 a.m. today at North Valleys High to stay alive in the double elimination tournament. Seattle beat the Cardinals 12-4 earlier in the event.
But Friday's game was a far cry from a 21-0 loss to the Pirates on Thursday. In the top of the 10th inning, Aaron Henry hit a shot down the left field line that may have been trapped by the left fielder, but was ruled a catch. Henry would have had a double.
In the bottom of the 10th with a runner at second, the Pirates won it on a groundball down the first base line. Even though Cameron Leck was guarding the line and made a diving attempt, the ball was ruled fair.
The Cardinals took a 3-0 lead in the first on Andrew James' three-run home run. But in the second, the Pirates scored five unearned runs.
The Cardinals closed to 5-4 in the fourth when Carl Winter singled and eventually scored on a wild pitch. But the Pirates added three runs in the bottom of the fourth to take an 8-4 lead.
Ryan Henry allowed two earned runs and struck out five over four innings for the Cardinals.
In the sixth, Winter doubled and scored on Logan Parsley's single. The Cardinals scored three runs to tie it in the seventh.
Aaron Henry, Tony Teixeira and James all single, Leck was hit by a pitch to force in a run, Winter singled home a run and a run scored on a double play.
Jason Alcasas was the tough luck loser, holding the Pirates scoreless for more than five innings until the 10th.
Leck's grand slam home run ignited a five-run first inning as the Cardinals beat the Rangers.
After Henry and James singled to load the bases, Leck belted his grand slam. Carl Winter followed with a solo shot to give the Cardinals a 5-1 lead.
Carson High graduate Tim Priess, who played for Feather River this past season, then came in to pitch effectively through the fifth inning for the Rangers.
In the third, Parsley followed Alcasas' single with a two-run single to give the Cardinals a 7-4 lead. The Rangers used three Cardinal errors to score three unearned runs to tie the score 7-7 in the fifth. In the bottom of the fifth, after Jeff Hurzel singled, Aaron Henry's sacrifice fly gave the Cardinals an 8-7 lead.
The Cardinals broke the game open with five runs in the sixth. Winter singled, Parsley hit an RBI single, Hurzel had a two-run double and James had an RBI triple during the rally.
Winter went 3-for-3 and Tony Teixeira, Parsley, Hurzel and James all had two hits. Mike Handley pitched the first five innings for the win.
Alcasas picked up the save, recording all six of his outs by strikeouts as he had six strikeouts over the last two innings.
Jake and Jesse Rasner, who played for Carson High this past season, helped lead the Rangers. The Rasners, who will both be juniors, will transfer to Wooster this school year.
Jesse was 1-for-2 and scored three runs and Jake went 1-for-2. Fernley's Casey Bisard also went 1-for-3 for the Rangers.
SUN DEVILS SWEEP
Dayton's Matt Bowman and Carson's Willie Bowman had huge days for the Sierra Sun Devils as they swept Oroville, Calif., in a doubleheader, winning 11-5 and 13-7.
Matt went 6-for-8 with three RBI and Willie was 5-for-9 with three doubles, a triple and an RBI. The Sun Devils will host Feather River College at 11 a.m. today at Wooster.