RENO — Carson High’s baseball team opened its Division I season in impressive fashion by knocking off North Valleys, 17-5, Tuesday afternoon.
Carson improved to 4-2 overall and 1-0 in league. The same teams collide at 6 p.m. Thursday at Ron McNutt Field. The Senators start a two-game series at 11 a.m. Saturday against Wooster.
“They (North Valleys) swung the bat pretty well,” Carson coach Bryan Manoukian said. “They put the ball in play. We happened to have guys on when we got big hits.”
Carson collected 13 hits — a season-high three by Casey Wolfe plus two each by T.J. Thomsen, Charlie Banfield, Chase Blueberg and Dom Norton. Banfeld drove in four runs, Wolfe and Thomsen finished with three RBIs and Norton and Cody Schmidlin plated two apiece.
“Norton is doing a fantastic job,” Manoukian said. “He’s 4-for-9 with four RBIs. He’s coming up in good situations and coming through. Casey doubled his hit total. Hopefully he’s got his confidence up and can keep going.”
Carson took control early, scoring four in the first inning and eight in the second inning to take a quick 12-0 lead.
Schmidlin drove in two runs in the first with a single and then Wolfe doubled home a run.
In the second, Thomsen hit two run-scoring singles, Wolfe drove in two runs and Banfield drove in two runs.
North Valleys scored one in the second and one in the third, and because of the long second inning, Manoukian removed starter Jace Zampirro after three innings. Zampirro allowed two runs and three hits in three innings. He struck out three and walked two.
“We were hitting for about 35 minutes in the second inning,” Manoukian said. “We let Jace use this as an extended bullpen, and we got Tyler (Valley) some work, too.”
Valley threw the last two innings, allowing three runs on five hits.
Carson closed out its scoring with five in the fourth, the key hit coming from Banfield, who doubled in two runs.
SOFTBALL
Reed 3, Carson 0
SPARKS — Jackie Sertic pitched a 1-hitter to lead the Raiders to a shutout win over the Senators in a Northern Division I crossover game at Shadow Mountain Complex.
Carson’s only hit came from Jennifer Purcell in the fifth. Sertic struck out 10 and didn’t walk a batter. The Senators’ Erica Watson also turned in an outstanding effort, scattering seven hits and allowing three runs, one earned. All of Reed’s runs came in the fifth. Watson struck out one and walked one. Watson threw 62 pitches, 46 for strikes.
Megan Dettling and Lindsay Yearman led Reed with two hits apiece.