Carson softball sweeps Hug

In miserable conditions, the Carson High softball team was able to take care of business by sweeping a doubleheader at Hug on Saturday.

Carson won the opener 13-6 and the nightcap 16-3. "Man was the weather crappy," Carson coach Scott Vickrey said.

"We had a little bit of everything. We had ran, we had wind, we had snow. Everything by hail."

Winning pitcher Christa Casci struggled in the opener as she was plagued by six walks. "It was pretty tough to hang onto the ball," Vickrey said.

Casci allowed four earned runs over 4.2 innings while giving up just two hits. Cassie Vondrak picked up the save, allowing a run over the last 2.1 innings. Vondrak gave up two hits and walked none.

Carson (4-3, 4-2 in the Sierra League) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Dacey Hassey's RBI double and Candice Rutledge's RBI single. Hug, though, came back to take a 5-2 lead before Carson scored five runs in the fourth to take a 7-5 lead. The Senators added three more runs in the sixth and seventh.

Hassey finished with three hits, Abby Rankl had two hits, including a double and Kaitlin Burroughs added two hits.

Vondrak was the winning pitcher in the nightcap, pitching three scoreless innings. Vondrak struck out three while allowing three hits and walking one. Vondrak was also the winning pitcher in a 14-9 win over Douglas on Friday, giving her two wins and a save in the last three games.

"I was real happy with Vondrak's performance," Vickrey said. "She did a good job in both games."

Elysa Guterrez pitched the last two innings for Carson in the game that was called after five innings due to the mercy rule.

Carson scored eight runs in the first, four in the second and two in the fourth and fifth as it built a 16-0 lead.

Burroughs and Hassey continued their red hot hitting as Burroughs had three hits, including a triple, and Hassey had a double and a triple.

"Hassey's been on fire," Vickrey said. "The Douglas game and the two games today she's been hitting the ball as hard as I've every seen her hit it."

Sarah Evans added an inside-the-park-home run, a solo shot in the fifth. "The bats were working really well," Vickrey said.

"We hit the ball hard. It was good to see the bats come alive in the Douglas game and continue today."