A night after almost pulling off a miraculous comeback, the Carson National 11-12-year-old all-stars fell short in overcoming a mammoth deficit in the district tournament in Reno.
The Nationals trailed 14-0 after two innings before losing to Reno National 16-12 on Wednesday. On Tuesday, the Nationals almost overcame a 7-0 deficit in a 12-11 loss to Reno American East.
Down 14-0, the Nationals (1-2) scored seven runs in the third inning. Zac Hudson hit a two-run single, Alex Holcomb hit a two-run double, Hunter Hand hit a solo home run, Daniel Okimura had an RBI sacrifice fly and Rory Petersen, T.J. Thomsen and Charlie Banfield all singled during the rally.
Down 16-7, the Nationals scored five runs in the sixth before falling short. Logan Krupp hit a two-run single, Hudson hit a two-run double, Holcomb doubled and Daniel Okimura had an RBI single during the rally.
Hudson was 2-for-2 with four RBI, Holcomb doubled twice and Gehrig Tucker and Matt Nolan each added a hit. Hudson, Tucker, Okimura and Banfield all pitched well in relief.
The Nationals need a win at 8 p.m. today against Sparks National at Reno's Terrace Park to secure a spot in the single elimination quarterfinals, which begin on Saturday.