Carson softball off to strong start

The Carson High softball team got off to a solid start to the season, going 3-0 in the Lassen (Calif.) Tournament on Friday.

Carson beat Red Bluff, Calif., 7-6, Lassen 3-1 and Kuna, Idaho, 11-1 to advance to today's quarterfinals when it will play at 1 p.m.

Against Red Bluff, Carson overcame its own errors to come back from a 4-1 deficit. Cassie Vondrak went the distance for the win as all six runs she allowed were unearned. Vondrak struck out five and allowed five hits.

Carson took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Christa Casci led off the game with a triple and scored on Candice Rutledge's single. Down 4-1, the Senators closed to within 4-3 in the sixth when Abby Rankl walked, Casci singled and both eventually scored on an error.

In the seventh, Kaitlin Burroughs singled, went to second on Krista Mattice's sacrifice bunt and scored on Rutledge's single. Rankl walked and Dacey Hassey followed with a two-run triple.

Vondrak's RBI single made it 7-4. Vondrak allowed two unearned runs in the bottom of the seventh, but was able to hold on.

Against Lassen, Nikki Keller pitched a complete-game two hitter. One of the hits she gave up was a home run that broke up her shutout in the seventh.

In the third, Casci singled and eventually scored on Hassey's RBI single. Carson took a 3-0 lead in the fourth on Burroughs' RBI triple and Katie McEwan's RBI single.

The game against Kuna was called after four innings due to the mercy rule. Rankl hit a grand slam home run in the fourth during an eight-run inning and Daria Leid had three hits, including a double and a triple.

Leid also pitched the last two innings. She combined with Vondrak to strike out five while allowing three hits.

In the fourth, Vondrak and Burroughs singled and scored on Leid's two-run double. Mattice followed with an RBI single. Rankl's grand slam homer made it 8-0. Vondrak doubled and scored on Sarah Evans' single to make it 9-0.

In the third, Leid singled and scored on Casci's single. In the fourth, Loretta Cagle singled and scored on Leid's triple.

JVS WIN TWO

Carson went 2-0 at the Nicole Snyder Memorial Tournament at Douglas, beating Damonte Ranch 17-2 and South Tahoe 11-6. Both games were called after four innings due to the time limit.

Against Damonte, Jessie Sinclair was the winning pitcher, striking out five. Melissa Coyle had three runs, two hits and two RBI, Marcella Watson had two hits, a run and two RBI, Hannah Shaw had two hits and two runs, Jaime Good hit a home run and Tiffany O'Day had two hits and two runs.

Against South Tahoe, Natalie Morrow, Good and Coyle all combined on the mound for the win. Coyle picked up the save, picking up a strikeout with two outs and the bases loaded in the fourth to end the game.

Shaw had two hits, including a solo homer, and three runs, Tami Conn had two hits and three runs and Megan Hein had a hit and two runs.

Carson will play Douglas at 10 a.m. today in a battle of unbeaten teams and then will play Galena at 11:30.