Carson 11-12's reach finals with dramatic win

For the second straight night, Asa Carter rescued the Carson City 11-12-year-old all-star team from championship elimination.

With the score tied at 5 in the top of the sixth inning, Carter launched a two-run, two-out homer to snap the tie and send Carson City to a 7-6 win over Reno American in a District 1 game Saturday night at Governors Field.

Carson City moves into the championship game at 7:30 p.m. Monday against Washoe. Since Washoe is unbeaten, Carson must win two straight to dethrone the defending champs. If an if-game is needed it would be played Tuesday night.

P.J. White started the uprising in the sixth with a leadoff walk and moved to second on an infield out by John Holton. Connor Leahy flied out to center, bringing Carter to the plate.

The situation called for a walk. Carter worked the count to 2-1 and then unloaded an absolute bomb to left-centerfield.

"I was surprised they didn't walk him," Carson manager Jim Andrews said. "Asa is seeing the ball like a watermelon right now.

"They hadn't seen us play. They didn't know what he could do. Their coach was asking me before the game how we'd been doing."

Reno American still had some flight left.

Collin Crowe delivered a two-out, run-scoring single to make it 7-6. With the tying run at second, White struck out Alex Scott to end the game.

Andrews admitted to a little frustration when Carson left the bases loaded in the first and left two runners on in the second.

Reno American scored one in the first and one in the second against Carson starter John Collins, a surprise choice by Andrews.

"We were going to start P.J. pitching," Andrews said. "John Collins had just got back from vacation, and he was wanting to play more. He had the desire to play. All of his family members were in attendance."

Patrick DeLeon doubled home a run in the first, but Collins struck out Drew Clark to strand two runners in scoring position. Austin Johnson walked to open the second and eventually scored on Ryan Boucher's fielder's choice to make it 2-0.

Carson took a 3-2 lead, as Kyle Kunz (single), Leahy (infield out) and Carter (infield out) drove in the runs.

Reno took a 5-3 lead in the fourth when Avery Nork blasted a three-run homer, scoring Scott, who had reached on a walk, and Boucher, who reached on a single.

Carson tied the game at 5 on Zach Simms' two-run double. Simms took a bad-hop groundball in the eye on Friday, and his eye is still puffed up. It was only fitting that he come up and produce in the clutch.