RENO - Ever since dropping their opening postseason game Tuesday to the Bishop Manogue Miners, the Carson Senators had to fight to stay alive in the Northern 4A Region playoffs.
The Senators stayed alive through Wednesday with a 10-0 thrashing of Damonte Ranch and even gained revenge Thursday on Manogue, with a 6-2 win. But although they came from behind twice against High Desert League champion McQueen and played without head coach Steve Cook, the never-say-die Senators finally succumbed to the Lancers, 9-7, and finished their season 24-10.
The Lancers, 34-3, will face the winner of Galena-Douglas for the regional championship at 1 p.m. Saturday, at Bishop Manogue High School. Both teams will compete in next week's Class 4A state championships.
After Carson got a complete game against the Miners from pitcher Kyle Mandoki, who spread out nine hits and struck out 10 batters, it lost Cook in the bottom of the first inning against the Lancers when umpire Murph Glover ejected him from the game.
Glover, who made two critical calls against Carson in the loss to Manogue on Tuesday, apparently didn't like what he heard coming out of the Senators' dugout and left his position behind the plate and gave Cook his first and "final warning."
Cook argued with Glover for a couple of moments and after he started to head back to the dugout, Glover ejected him, prompting Cook to return for a further heated dialogue. Cook then left the park without incident.
"He (Glover) thought I was arguing balls and strikes," Cook said. "In not such a nice way I told him what I said. He told me and I told him. On the way back I guess he ran me. I found out from my pitching coach. I never said anything once I left the umpire. I know better. I'm disappointed - not in the fact that we lost or the way we played. Every coach wants to watch his kids play the last game of the year. I couldn't be prouder of group of seniors.
"They are my guys. One thing you want to do is watch their last game for you. Unfortunately, I couldn't do it."
What Cook would've seen was assistant coach John Valley take over and keep his team together after McQueen's Jared Murphy put the Lancers up 1-0 in the bottom of the second with an estimated 380-foot solo shot over the left-center wall.
Carson tied it in the top of the third. Second baseman Logan Parsley walked to open the inning and later stole second. McQueen pitcher Justin Surina threw a wild pitch to walk Brooks Greenlee and as Parsley took third, Lancers catcher Murphy threw the ball into the Carson dugout, allowing Parsley to score and Greenlee to advance to the third.
Surina, who pitched 3-plus innings, got Josh Caron to popup to short to end the inning.
McQueen kept up the pressure in the bottom of the inning and re-took the lead when Travis Reynolds reached third on a passed ball and then took home on third baseman Sean Costella's catching error on Greenlee's throw.
Carson came back to score four runs and take a 5-2 lead in the top of the fourth but McQueen answered with six runs in the bottom of the frame, which saw two more Carson errors, as the Lancers sent 11 batters to the plate.
The Lancers tacked on another run to increase their lead to 9-5 on yet another Carson error, this one in the fifth, when Will Honjas scored on a Greenlee's throwing error to third.
But Carson refused to go away quietly and in the top of the seventh inning, pinch hitter David Leid closed the gap to 9-7 with a two-run double down the right corner, scoring Tony Fagan and pinch hitter Joe Skates.
Pinch hitters Jeremiah Teeter and Jack Maloney each got to the plate to represent the tying run, but McQueen reliever Brian Barnett got Teeter to ground out to third and then struck out Maloney to end the game.
Fagan, who started against McQueen, gave up eight runs (four earned) on eight hits, walking three and striking out five. Reliever Rob Valerius went 2 1/3 innings, allowing one unearned run, three hits and two walks, while striking out two.
Ryan Finney, who relieved Surina, got the win, pitching one scoreless, hitless inning. Surina surrendered three runs (two earned), two hits, seven walks and struck out seven.
Feiler pitched 2 1/3 innings of relief, striking out five while allowing two earned runs and two hits. Barrett faced only Teeter and Maloney.
Cook said he was proud of how his players battled.
"That's been us all year," he said. "Our kids don't quit. Not for one inning did I have anyone quitting. (In the last inning) we were down four runs and came back against a tough McQueen team and put up a 2-spot. We always had the opportunity to win this year. One other thing, our kids won every series this year in league.
"They're such a fun group to be around off the field. They were always gentlemen. They were very respectful, which I'm just as proud of. Whenever the Carson boys traveled, they were just respectful."
Cook said he had a special place in his heart for his 12 departing seniors.
"They took the game I love and went after it the way I love," Cook said. "They don't know any other way."
Parsley and Royal Good each homered in Carson's win over Manogue. Good finished 2-for-3, with 2 RBI, and Parsley went 1-for-3, with an RBI. First baseman T.J. Hein went 1-for 3, with 2 RBI, giving Carson the lead with a two-run single in the bottom of the second.
Murphy did most of the damage in game two for the Lancers, going 4-for-4, with a homer and 3 RBI. Reynolds finished 3-for-4, with an RBI and a run.
Good finished the Carson-Manogue game 1-for-2, with 2 RBI, Fagan went 1-for-3, with 2 RBI and Leid was 1-for-1, with 2 RBI.
Notes: Carson's 12 departing seniors include Parsley (who will play for Western Nevada Community College next year), Costella, Mandoki, Good, Caron, Kevin Schlange, Markus Adams, Johnny Hazeltine, Maloney, Chris Ames, Teeter and Jack Jacquet.