Carson High didn't need any seventh-inning theatrics against Reed this time around.
The Senators exploded for seven first-inning runs and rolled to a 13-3 five-inning win over the Raiders Thursday night at Ron McNutt Field to sweep the two-game Northern 4A series.
Carson (9-5 in league) collected 12 hits, as winning pitcher Adam Whitt, Chance Quilling, Nick Domitrovich and Dion Copoulos all had two hits apiece. Carson was solid in the field, committing just one error, that coming in the first inning.
"We've been hitting the ball well ever since the tournament (at Spanish Springs)," Carson coach Cody Farnworth said. "The kids are starting to feel more confident; trusting their swings more.
"When we play defense, we fare pretty well."
Reed came out swinging against Carson starter Adam Whitt, as four of the first five hitters reached base. Three were singles by Ryan Butler, Chuck Stroberg and Spencer Jones, who drove in the Raiders' first run.
With one out and the bases juiced, Connor Cox hit a roller back to Whitt, who flipped the ball to catcher Rory Petersen, who stepped on the plate for the force. There was some contact on the play from runner Alex Young, and Petersen dropped the ball. Plate umpire Murph Glover quickly ruled that the ball came loose on the exchange and stayed with an out call despite a brief protest from Reed coach Ray Charles. Whitt retired the next batter on an infield roller to end the inning.
"He (Whitt) came out throwing strikes which is what we want him to do," Farnworth said. "We made a play at home and got the out. He battled. To get out of bases-loaded jam with only one run is big. Sometimes innings like that can get away from you."
"The first inning I was just trying to throw strikes and let them hit the ball," Whitt said. "The team picked me up after that. I wasn't too worried. It was a big game, and everybody was in the game. I knew I would get the run support."
That lead was short lived, as the Senators found Reed starter Mark Nowaczewski no mystery from the outset. Of the 12 batters he faced in that first inning four reached on hits, one got aboard via an error, three reached on walks, one on a fielder's choice and one on a hit batsman.
Nick Domitrovich singled, stole second, moved to third on Petersen's fly to center and scored on a single by Austin Pacheco. After Chance Quilling reached on an error and Colby Blueberg was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Whitt and Casey Wolfe each hit two-run singles to make it 5-1. A bases-loaded walk and wild pitch accounted for the last two runs of the inning.
"He (Nowaczewski) is a good thrower," Reed coach Ray Charles said. "We just didn't make any plays. When you don't play good defense, it's hard to come back. They hit the ball well."
Reed didn't get a runner past first base in the second, third and fourth innings. Whitt allowed only one hit in that span.
Meanwhile, Carson added a run in the second on a foul sacrifice fly by Blueberg, and then added four more in the third, three on an opposite-field homer by Blueberg that just got inside the foul pole in right and a single by Copoulos.
Carson added its final run in the fourth on back-to-back doubles by Domitrovich and Petersen.
Whitt turned the ball over to Charlie Banfield at the start of the fifth, and Banfield walked four batters and allowed a hit as the Raiders scored two runs to make it a 10-run game.
NOTE: Prior to the game, Keegan Aiazzi and Stephen Anderson, who died recently in a scuba diving accident, were honored with a moment of silence. Their football numbers were put on the scoreboard, and the team presented the Anderson family with an autographed baseball.
JV: CARSON 5, REED 4
SPARKS - Jace Zampirro picked up the pitching win, scored twice, collected two hits and drove in a run to lead Carson to the win.
Carson is 12-9 overall and 8-5 in league play.
Cody Schmidlin went 3-for-3 and drove in a run. Rafe King singled in a run, while Tyler Valley, Dominic Norton, Jason Milligan and Logan Krupp collected a hit apiece.