Manogue takes it to Carson

RENO - Bishop Manogue didn't need a touch of heaven to stop Carson in the first round of the Northern 4A region baseball playoffs Tuesday afternoon.

The Miners pounded 18 hits off six different Senator pitchers as they cruised to a 16-4 win at Bishop Manogue.

"They hit very well," Carson coach Steve Cook said. "We had five hits, and we're not going to win any games with five hits."

Bishop Manogue, a private Catholic school in South Reno, will face Galena, a 13-1 winner over North Valleys, today at 4 p.m. Carson takes on North Valleys at 1 p.m. in the consolation bracket.

"We didn't get much of a reward for winning and having to play Galena tomorrow," Miners coach Charles Oppio said. "I didn't feel good until we got the last out. Carson's a scrappy team."

A six-run first inning helped jump start Bishop Manogue to a comfortable lead before Carson came back to make it a 7-4 game.

Kyle Stone hit two solo home runs to right field, sparking the Senators to rally against the No. 3 seed from the High Desert League. Stone finished the game 3 for 3 with his third hit a single in the sixth inning.

"He's been solid for us all year," Cook said of Stone.

The Miners had an answer in the sixth inning when they scored nine runs on eight hits, including a two-run homer from Brett Hinckley. Joe Wieland and Matt Kiener each had RBI doubles in the inning.

"Hitting's contagious," Oppio said. "We've been getting the hits really well. A couple guys start rolling, and it snow balls."

During the regular season, Cook said Bishop Manogue hit the ball hard and he expected nothing different on Tuesday.

"We've played them twice, and they've done the same thing twice," Cook said. "Now, they've done the same thing three times."

Sophomore Matt Rutledge started the game for the Senators but could only retire one batter before being relieved. He allowed six runs on five hits and retired the first batter of the game with a called strikeout.

The next stop for the Miners will be Galena, which finished unbeaten in the HDL.

Oppio said the only way Bishop Manogue can beat Galena, the reigning Northern 4A champs, is production on offense, like the win over Carson.

"We're going to have to get after it," Oppio said. "If we're going to have any chance, it will be a slugfest. If it's a slugfest one way, we're going to have trouble."

Carson, on the other hand, will face a similar foe in North Valleys, the fourth seed from the Sierra League.

But Cook isn't too sure what to expect tomorrow when his Senators come to Bishop Manogue for the afternoon game.

"We'll see tomorrow," he said.