RENO - Carson High's baseball team fired the first salvo Thursday afternoon, but Bishop Manogue won the war.
The Senators jumped out to a quick 2-0, but the Miners responded with eight unanswered runs and a 10-7 Northern 4A victory.
The loss dropped Carson to 11-8 entering today's regular-season finale against the Miners at 3:45 at Ron McNutt Field. The Senators have a one-game lead over Galena, 10-9, in the quest for fourth place which would mean a home playoff game. It's very simple for Carson - a win clinches the No. 4 spot.
Damonte Ranch was eliminated from the fight for fourth place after losing to Wooster yesterday. The Mustangs will be the No. 6 seed in the playoff.
Carson coach Cody Farnworth will send Casey Wolfe to the mound today on Senior Day. Wolfe last started against Reno on April 5, and he threw four solid innings againt the Huskies in a 9-4 loss.
"He (Wolfe) is a competitor," Farnworth said. "He's been throwing bullpens. We're going to have to have a short leash, but we've also got some guys who are banged up."
Manogue coach Charles Oppio said he's undecided about today's starter. Patrick Hinojosa and Austin Vial, who is 2-0 in three appearances, are possibilities.
Carson took a quick 2-0 lead when Rory Petersen, who went 3-for-4, hit a one-out single and scored all the way from first on Brock Pradere's double to the gap in left-centerfield. After Nick Domitrovich popped up, Wolfe hammered a triple to deep right to score Pradere.
"Brock has been really hitting the ball well, and Rory is starting to be where he should be (offensively)," Farnworth said.
Austin Burkett settled down and allowed only one hit over the next three innings. His teammates reponded with five in the second and two in the third for an 8-2 lead after three.
"Austin did a good job after the first inning," Oppio said.
Conversely, Carson's Charlie Banfield never really got started, surrendering one in the first, five in the second and two in the third. Manogue stung some balls, while others found open territory.
"Charlie had pretty good stuff, but Manogue is just a very good hitting team," Farnworth said. "They got some balls to fall. (Tyler) Valley did a good job and gave us a chance to come back.
"We're pretty resilient, but we have to come out with more inensity than we did today."
The second inning proved to be huge for the Miners, who scored five times on six hits, three of which were doubles. M.J. Farthing had a two-run single, while Connor Thompson, Devonte German and Jake Pomi also had run-scoring hits.
Manogue tacked on two more in the third for an 8-2 lead on doubles by Howard Logan and Kyle Lewis plus a sacrifice fly by Louis Damonte.
Carson started to get untracked in the fifth, scoring three times to trim the deficit to 8-5.
Petersen hit a one-out single and moved to second on an error by Lewis. Domitrovich doubled home Petersen. Pradere scored from third on a heads-up play when the Manogue catcher threw to first to retire Wolfe on a dropped third strike. Drew Moreland's infield single scored Domitrovich.
Valley, who pitched a 1-2-3 fourth, gave up two unearned runs in the fifth as Damonte hit a double down the right field line that was just inches fair to make it 10-5.
Petersen gave Carson a chance in the top of the sixth with a two-run double off reliever Anthony Damonte to make it 10-7. Keegan Sullivan retired Pradere and Domitrovich to end the inning.
After Valley worked another 1-2-3 inning in the sixth, Carson threatened in the seventh when Wolfe and Moreland singled. With runners on second andf third, Sullivan fanned Dion Copoulos and Banfield, and then retired TJ Thomsen on a lazy fly ball to end the game.
The last three spots in the Carson order went 0-for-8, and Farnworth admitted that Carson needs offense throughout the lineup to be effective.