Two errors key in Carson baseball loss

David Charles deserved a better fate Friday night. Of course, you could say that for most of his starts this season.

Spanish Springs took advantage of two errors to score four unearned runs in the first inning en route to a 5-0 win over the Senators in a non-league baseball game at Ron McNutt Field.

The teams conclude their three-game series with a doubleheader at 11 a.m. today in Sparks.

"That's a 1-0 ballgame; maybe-2-0," said Carson coach Cody Farnworth. "Their kid (Jake Bray) threw well. I thought David Charles threw an outstanding game. We didn't play defense for him."

Farnworth won't get any argument from Spanish Springs coach Mike Bosco.

"Without the first inning, it's a different game," Bosco said. "We've been averaging 12 runs a game. If we don't do that, we have to pitch and play defense."

And, the Cougars did just that.

The Cougars' Jake Bray limited Carson to just five hits, two coming from Dylan Sawyers. Bray fanned eight and walked one. Including Carson's five hits, only seven balls made it out of the infield. At one stage, he retired 11 of 14 batters.

Bray opened the game by reaching on an error when Carson first baseman Adam Whitt failed to hang on to a throw. After Justin Agliolo reached on a walk, Tanner Oates was safe on a Nick Domitrovich error allowing Bray to score. Agliolo scored on an infield out by Berto Espinosa and Davis Murphy doubled home Oates to make it 3-0. Murphy stole home on a double steal to end the first-inning barrage.

The Cougars stretched their lead to 5-0 in the second when Bray doubled and scored on Agliolo's single.

Charles dominated the rest of the time he was on the mound, retiring 13 of the next 17 hitters before departing after six innings.

After the game, the senior left-hander admitted he's frustrated.

"It's been frustrating the whole year," he said. "I'm starting to shake it off more. It all comes back to staying within myself and trying not to do too much."

Carson had runners in scoring position in just three innings - the second, fifth and seventh.

In the second, Whitt singled with one out and moved to second on Cameron Mayville's infield roller. Bray fanned Connor Beattie to end the inning. In the fifth, Sawyers singled with two outs. He stole second and moved to third on a single by Shea Bondi. Bray came up big again, striking out Domitrovich. In the seventh, Mayville walked with one out and was forced at second by David Feltner. Sawyers singled Feltner to second, but Bray retired Bondi to end the game.

Carson played without pitcher-infielder Colby Blueberg, who violated a school rule and will return to the team next week, and outfielder Austin Pacheco, who was in California attending a relatives' wedding.