Kevin Clifford/Nevada Appeal
RENO " Carson High's objective is to win every series. Mission accomplished.
The Senators remained in first place by splitting a doubleheader with Damonte Ranch on Saturday afternoon. Carson won the opener 9-6 and lost the second game 8-7.
Carson still leads the Sierra League standings at 7-2, a game ahead of Bishop Manogue and Douglas, both at 6-3. Galena is next at 8-4.
"Two out of three was our objective," Carson coach Cody Farnworth said. "We would have liked to have the sweep. The kids battled."
The Senators won Thursday's game 6-1.
Carson managed 22 hits in the doubleheader, 10 in the first game and 12 in the second.
"The kids came out swinging; were real aggressive at the plate," Farnworth said.
After a scoreless first, Kyle Stone singled and Matt Rutledge walked. That set the stage for Tyler Hutchins, who hit an opposite-field three-run homer off Anthony Rosa.
"I was just trying to put it in play," Hutchins said. "The wind carried it out to right."
Damonte pushed across two in the third thanks to singles by Brandon Frankel and Rosa plus an error.
Carson exploded for four runs in the fifth when Hutchins singled and scored on Tommy Preston's double in the right-center field gap. Paul Cagle III was walked intentionally and Cody Barr followed with a three-run homer to make it 7-2.
"He hung a curveball," Barr said of his homer against Rosa. "I didn't expect a curveball. That caught me off guard."
Lefty David Charles, who allowed four hits through five innings, got roughed up in the sixth. The Mustangs scored four runs, two coming on a homer by Spencer Moss to make it 7-6. Bennett Bedford singled home a run and an error accounted for the other.
Carson pushed across two insurance runs in the seventh when Dustin Buttner walked, moved to second on a single by Barr and scored on a single by Rutledge. Tommy Purcell singled home Barr, but Hutchins and Brett Valley were retired to end the inning.
Charles gave up a lead-off double to right-center field, but set down the next three hitters to end the game.
Charles was in command except the third and sixth when Damonte scored all of its runs.
The third game has always been a stress test for Carson because of the inability of somebody to step into the third starter role and Saturday was no exception.
Tyler Hutchins started and only threw three strikes in his first 19 pitches. He allowed a hit and walked four hitters as Damonte cut Carson's lead to 3-2. Hutchins did strike out the side, but after the initial damage was done.
Hutchins gave up two more in the bottom of the second as Carson fell behind 4-3. Rutledge's two-run single gave Carson a 5-4 lead. Damonte brought in Cody Stevens, who allowed only two runs and four hits over the final 4.2 innings.
Damonte scored two more runs to take a 6-5 lead, as Hutchins left in favor of David Perce.
"My teammates gave me enough run support, but I didn't get the job done," Hutchins said. "I was rushing the ball (early)."
Preston tied the game at 6 with a one-out double, but Tyler Bates doubled home Ray Daniels to give the Mustangs a 7-6 lead.
Dustin Buttner tied the game at 7 with an opposite field homer that just barely stayed inside the foul pole in right.
Carson brought in Barr to start the seventh and Dwight Gover reached on an infield single. Stevens followed with a game-winning double to right-center field to end the game.