PREPS: Carson wins, moves into a 3-way tie for third

Carson High's 8-7 win over Bishop Manogue Thursday afternoon at Ron McNutt Field certainly wasn't pretty and won't earn the Senators any style points, but that didn't matter to coach Cody Farnworth.

"We snuck one in, but we'll take it," a smiling Farnworth said minutes after Brock Pradere's bases-loaded walk snapped a 7-all tie and gave the Senators a much-needed Northern 4A baseball victory.

The win moved Carson into a third-place tie with the Miners and Spanish Springs at 12-7 heading into today's finale against Manogue in Reno. First pitch is set for 3:45 p.m. Spanish Springs plays McQueen.

Farnworth said he's undecided on today's starter. He'll most likely be choosing between Nick Domitrovich and Drew Moreland. Manogue coach Charles Oppio also said he's undecided on his starter.

"It's going to come down to whoever makes the plays," Farnworth said. "I think we're pretty evenly matched. We have to go out and perform."

Neither team played great defense, making three errors apiece. Manogue's Oppio hopes his team turns it around today.

"We didn't deserve to win," Oppio said. "We made a lot of stupid plays out there. It was ugly."

Carson starter Adam Whitt sailed through the first four innings, allowing just an unearned run and three hits. Manogue erupted for six runs in the fifth to take a 7-5 lead, the big blow being a two-run single by M.J. Farthing.

Carson showed its spunk by scoring two in the sixth to tie the game, and then pushing across a run in the seventh to win it.

Whitt opened the sixth with a single. T.J. Thomsen followed with a bunt which Manogue pitcher Kyle Preneau picked up, but hesitated too long and both runners were safe.

Austin Burkett came on in relief, and was unable to get out of the jam.

Burkett walked Domitrovich to load the bases. After Pradere struck out, Rory Petersen scored Whitt with a sacrifice fly that was caught by the second baseman. Chance Quilling, the hero of Wednesday's win over Galena, scored Thomsen with an infield single to make it 7-7.

In the seventh, winning pitcher Casey Wolfe singled and was sacrificed to second by Whitt. Domitrovich walked to load the bases. Pradere worked the count to 3-2 before taking an inside pitch for the fourth ball and breaking the tie. Pradere said the inside fastball wasn't real close to the strike zone.

Manogue grabbed a 1-0 lead with an unearned run off Whitt, as Farthing drove in Niles Lujan, who led off the game with a walk.

Whitt went on to retire 13 of the next 14 hitters, and his teammates rewarded him by scoring two in the second and third innings, and one more in the fourth.

The bottom of the Carson order came up big in the second when Wolfe, the No. 7 hitter, and Thomsen, the No. 9 hitter, drove in runs to make it 2-1.

"That was good to see," Farnworth said. "Those are two of our younger guys stepping up."

In the third, Colby Blueberg delivered a two-out, run-scoring single and Austin Pacheco delivered a run-scoring double to make it 4-1. In the fourth, Domitrovich hit a two-out double and reached third when the rightfielder bobbled the ball. Pradere followed with a run-scoring infield single.

That set the stage for Manogue's big fifth inning. Whitt got the first out of the inning, but six of the next seven hitters reached base on hits as the Miners took a 7-5 lead.

"Adam started out good," Farnworth said. "He started to get the ball up. Manogue can swing it, and you have to pitch seven innings and play defense to beat them."