Carson outlasts Douglas 11-8

The whole purpose of summer baseball is to improve; work on things that didn't go well during the school. It's also a time to look at younger players; to evaluate whether they are ready to make the move up to varsity.

From that point of view, this summer has been an unqualified success, as the Carson Blue Jays are 8-5 after knocking off Douglas 11-8 Thursday night at Ron McNutt Field.

"There has been big improvement," Carson coach Cody Farnworth said. "We're swinging it better. We're just getting better all around, We're playing better defense which is key."

Carson collected nine hits, two each by Adam Whitt, Nick Domitrovich and Brock Pradere. Domitrovich drove in five runs with two two-run doubles and a bases-loaded walk.

"Two games in a row he's been swinging it," Farnworth said of Domitrovich. "He's starting to see the ball better."

Domitrovich's two-run double in the first staked sophomore pitcher Charlie Banfield to a 2-0 lead in the first. His hit scored Austin Pacheco and Chance Quillling, who reached on a fielder's choice and a walk, respectively.

The Blue Jays made it 5-0 in the second, as Douglas' Ryan Ford struggled with his control. A wild pitch and bases-loaded walks to Shea Bondi and Domitrovich accounted for the runs. Pradere and Whitt got the only two hits in the inning, as Carson sent nine hitters to the plate.

Consecutive doubles by Kameron Van Winkle and Matt Thomas helped Douglas score two off sophomore right-hander Banfield, who keeps impressing Farnworth.

The Blue Jays made it 9-2 with four runs in the bottom of the fourth thanks to Domitrovich and Whiit, who drove in two runs apiece.

After a scoreless fourth, the Tigers pushed across three in the fifth and knocked Banfield out of the game. Matt Thomas delivered a run-scoring double and Van Winkle had a single. The third run scored when reliever Drew Moreland uncorked a wild pitch to make it 9-5.

Carson added single runs in the fifth and sixth to make it 11-5. Douglas scored three off Moreland in the top of the seventh to pull to within 11-8.