BRAD HORN/Nevada Appeal Carson's Jessica Grant slides safely into third base in the Senator's game against the Damonte Ranch Mustangs in Carson City Monday.
No Mandy Carvin. No Liz Rankl for half a game. No problem.
Carson High got a combined three-hitter from Christa Casci and Thera Frank, while Dacey Hassey and Jessica Ashbaugh delivered key hits, to lead the Senators past Damonte Ranch 5-1 in a nonconference game Monday afternoon.
The win gives the Senators a 7-7-1 record entering today's key Sierra League game at home against Wooster. Carvin, who was rested after throwing 10 innings on Saturday and Rankl (pulled muscle) are both expected to play. Rankl only played the last three innings because Jessica Grant suffered an ankle injury.
Carson started slow, not scoring until the third inning, and head coach Scott Vickrey said that can't happen today against the Colts.
"We don't want to start slow (against Wooster)," he said. "We need to come out with some fire. This is a big game."
Casci, a freshman, retired the first five batters she faced. Damonte Ranch's only run was unearned, that coming in the second when a two-out error kept the inning alive.
"Not too bad for a freshman coming up," said Bob Carvin, who coaches Carson's pitching staff. "She had good movement, moved the ball around and showed a good little change-up. I'm pleased."
Frank came on in the sixth and blanked Damonte in her two-inning stint. The only baserunners reached on a walk and an error.
Carson's offense came up with 10 hits against Damonte's Amanda Webster, but also stranded 10 runners. Carson had a runner on base every inning and left the bases loaded in the fifth and sixth innings.
Damonte took a 1-0 lead in the second when Jessica Skaggs reached on Jessica Ashbaugh's error. Monica Hibdon (2-for-3) blooped a single to right, scoring Skaggs.
After stranding runners at second and third in the second, Carson took the lead with two third-inning runs.
Robyn Conn, who played a flawless shortstop in place of Liz Rankl, doubled to start the inning. She moved to third on Casci's bloop single to right and scored on a passed ball. Hassey's infield single scored Casci with the second run.
Carson tacked on two more in the fourth when Grant singled and moved to third on Abby Rankl's double. Ashbaugh lined a soft single over the shortstop's head, scoring both runners.
Carson closed out the scoring on Jamie Yenter's run-scoring squeeze bunt in the bottom of the fifth.
n Darrell Moody can be reached at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com, or by calling (775) 881-1281