Carson baseball beats Reno

RENO - This could very well have been one the biggest weeks in the recent history of Carson High baseball.

The Senators started with a win over top-ranked McQueen on Monday night and took two games from Reno at Zunini Field, including Friday's dramatic 7-5 thriller on Logan Parsley's two-run homer in the top of the seventh inning.

Not a bad way to go into the upcoming 4A zone playoffs with three victories over two of the best teams in Northern Nevada.

"I think our confidence is very high right now," Carson coach Steve Cook said. "We played them tough on Wednesday, tough on Thursday and tough today. We battled for seven innings today. It was an emotionally charged game.

"We swung the bat well in the series. Taking two out of three from Reno ... we are so confident in what we do as a team."

Tony Fagan, who drove in four runs with a two-run single in the first and a two-run homer in the third, agreed.

"We're playing the ball we need to be playing," said Fagan, who because of a mix-up, wore 27 instead of his usual 30. "We're coming in ready to play."

And play they did. Instead of playing small ball like they did in Thursday's win, the Senators used the longball to score four of their seven runs Friday.

With the score tied at 5 entering the seventh, Brooks Greenlee drew a one-out walk from Pete Savage, who picked up the loss. Drew Simpson came on to face Parsley, who had a run-scoring single in the Senators' three-run third inning.

Simpson started off Parsley with a curveball for a strike. Simpson tried to get another deuce by Parsley, but the Carson senior was waiting and deposited the ball well over the fence in left.

"I was expecting it," Parsley said. "They know I like to sit on the fastball.

"This feels good; feels awesome. Reno's one of those teams that usually takes two of three from us. It's about time we gave it back to them."

Simpson walked Fagan and was removed in favor of Tim Moore, who gave up a single to Josh Caron.

Kevin Schlange flied to right, the runners holding. Jeremiah Teeter walked to load the bases. Moore left in favor of lefty Chad Doerr, who retired T.J. Hein to end the inning.

Nick Smallman, who relieved Kyle Mandoki, worked a 1-2-3 sixth inning. The seventh wasn't so easy for Smallman, who worked out of a first-and-third jam to pick up the win.

"We had gotten good pitching (in the first two games), so we hadn't had a chance to use Nick," Cook said. "The team let him know we had confidence in him. He dominated in his two innings."

Carson took a 2-0 lead against Bryan Carano in the first, as Royal Good reached on a walk and Greenlee singled. After Parsley struck out, Fagan slammed a two-run single.

The Huskies bounced back with four runs and five hits off Carson starter Kyle Mandoki in the last of the second. Everytime Mandoki got the ball up in the zone, the Huskies made him pay.

Mike Brown hit a two-run homer, Trever Zaldain delivered a run-scoring single and the final run scored when Greenlee was unable to handle John Rice's towering pop fly near the plate.

Parsley and Fagan flexed their muscles again in the third, knocking Carano out of the game.

Greenlee slammed a one-out double to deep left and scored on Parsley's single between third and short. Fagan followed with a two-run homer, allowing Carson to regain the lead 5-4.

"I was trying to sit on a fastball," Fagan said. "I looked stupid when I swung at a few bad pitches. I fouled off a few. I moved back off the plate. When they throw it inside, it's like it's right over the plate."

Reno fought back with a run in its half of the third on Adam Shochat's single. It appeared Mandoki might be on his way out of the game, but he managed to work out of the jam without any further damage.

Cook said he entertained the notion of pulling Mandoki, but liked the way the right-hander settled down in the fourth and fifth, allowing a hit in each inning.

"I thought he was just missing (on his pitches)," Cook said. "I didn't think he threw that bad."

That set the stage for Parsley's heroics.

Notes: The Senators retired No. 27 on Thursday which was Darrell Rasner's old number. Fagan might consider writing Rasner a letter asking if he can wear it next year if he's going to hit that good wearing that number... Carson will play at noon on Tuesday in the first round of the zone playoffs ... T.J. Hein had a nice game with two singles to complement Fagan's 3-for-3 effort and Greenlee's 2-for-2 effort... Reno sluggers John Rice and Davis Banks went a combined 0-for-8.