Third time a charm for Carson girls

BY DARRELL MOODY

Nevada Appeal Sports Writer

RENO " The third time proved to be the charm for the Carson High's softball team.

After coming up short in back-to-back extra inning games on Thursday afternoon and Saturday morning, the Senators were determined not to let that happen again.

Kristin Withrow led off the top of the ninth with a single and eventually scored on Natalie Morrow's infield out to give Carson a 4-3 win over Bishop Manogue in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader.

Bishop Manogue took the opener 1-0 when Melissa Rosenthal deposited a Cassie Vondrak pitch over the fence in right-centerfield in the bottom of the 10th to break a scoreless tie.

Despite losing two of three and falling to 4-2 in Sierra League play, Carson coach Scott Vickrey was upbeat.

"We were one hit away (in the two losses)," Vickrey said. "We were right there the entire weekend. The girls played hard. Both teams made mistakes here and there, but it's early and we're going to get better."

It's hard to imagine Carson ace Cassie Vondrak getting any better. She only gave up two earned runs in 27 innings. Unfortunately she lost two of those games because of lack of offensive support.

"I couldn't ask for anymore in the circle," Vickrey said. "When she gives up runs, there usually an error in there somewhere. She is throwing great."

In the second game, Manogue took a 2-0 lead thanks to a single by Amy Yeager, a passed ball, wild pitch and an error, which scored the second run.

Carson scored single runs in the fourth and fifth, tying the game at 2-all against BM starter Megan Dortch, who won the opener.

Katie McEwan tripled in a run in the fourth. In the fifth, Withrow walked, moved to second on a sacrifice and scored on an error.

Two Carson errors enabled Manogue to take a 3-2 lead after five, but Carson tied the game in the seventh against reliever Cassie Hargrove when Withrow walked and came around to score on a two-out error.

Carson pushed across the go-ahead in the ninth, and Vondrak blanked the Miners in the bottom of the inning to avert the sweep.

In the opener, Carson stranded seven runners in the first three innings, leaving the bases loaded in the first and third innings against Dortch, who struggled at times with her control.

The only time Vondrak was in serious trouble was in the sixth when the Miners loaded the bases. Nicole Danbury tried to squeeze a run in, but Vondrak's throw beat Kenzie Fogarty to the plate.

Dortch, who retired 16 of 18 in one stretch, averted danger in the top of the 10th when Belen Munoz walked. Vondrak hit a deep drive to right-centerfield, but Munoz was thrown out at the plate on a fine relay throw by Clancy.

"It was going to be 50-50 if we scored," Vickrey said. "We had only scored one run in the past 12 innings. I was trying to push the issue and get aggressive."

- Contact Darrell Moody at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com, or by calling 775 881-1281