TJ Thomsen.
The Carson High baseball team used a five-run fourth inning to erase a 5-4 deficit and then hung on to earn a split against Damonte Ranch on Saturday.
The Mustangs scored three sixth inning runs to cut the lead to one, but Carson’s Danny Guthrie preserved the 10-9 win.
The teams combined for 22 hits — 12 for extra bases— as the lead changed five times during the game. Carson had 14 of those hits, with nine of the 10 Senators who played picking up hits.
William Damon put Damonte out in front with a 2-run homer in the first inning off winning pitcher Chase Blueberg.
Carson cut the lead in the bottom of the first when TJ Thomsen singled, the first of his three hits, and went to third on Jace Zampirro’s single. Thomsen scored on Joe Nelson’s double.
Damonte added to its lead in the third when Blueberg walked a batter, allowed a hit. A double gave Damonte a 3-1 lead. A hit batter and another walk made it 4-1.
Carson responded with three runs in the third to tie the game. Dom Norton singled to start the inning, Zampirro singled, Nelson then reached on a fielder’s choice that allowed Norton to score. Blueberg then helped his own cause with a double that scored Zampirro. Nelson then scored on a passed ball to tie the game.
Damonte went back up before Carson stormed to the lead.
After doubles by Josiah Pongasi, Norton and Zampirro and a single by Thomsen, Carson had a 6-5 lead. Blueberg was then intentionally walked to load the bases. John Holton then walked, which forced Thomsen home for a 7-5 lead. Brandon Allen’s 2-run double gave the Senators a 9-5 lead.
Thomsen singled in the fifth inning and scored on an error to give Carson a 10-6 lead.
Damonte cut the lead on two walks, and three hits to knock Blueberg out of the game. Guthrie came in and got a groundout and a strikeout to preserve the lead.
Blueberg, who had a 1.50 ERA heading into the game, picked up the win going 5.1 innings. He gave up eight hits, nine runs — seven earned, striking out 10 and walking five.
Guthrie was clean in his 1.2 innings, striking out two.
Carson is 4-2 in league, while Damonte is 3-3. The Senators play at Douglas at 3:45 p.m. Monday in a nonleague tournament game. Carson turns around and plays two games (1:30 and 6 p.m. Tuesday).
SWIMMING
Boys sweep meet
The Carson High boys swimming team defeated Bishop Manogue (157-119) and Galena (170-108) on Friday at the Carson Aquatic Center.
The team of Tallon Rauch, Dagen Kipling, Casey Garrett and Peter Garrett won the 200 yard medley relay (1.46.94). The team of Drew Briggeman, Jesse Session, Gaige Bobbit and Casey Garrett were second in the 200 yard freestyle (1:45.59); Kipling won the 200 IM in 2:08.10, and 100 yard breaststroke (1:06.97); Peter Garrett won the 50 free in 24.38, was second in the 100 free (55.26); Rauch was second in the 100 butterfly (59.29), second in the 100 backstroke (59.25); Briggeman was fourth in the 200 freestyle; Casey Garrett was second in the 500 free (6:15.03); and the team of Rauch, Peter Garrett, Briggeman and Kiplin was second in the 400 yard freestyle.
Girls come up short
The Carson High girls swimming team fell to Manogue (159-144) and Galena (161-125) on Friday.
The team of Vanessa Rauch, Christy Krahn, Ashley Meyer and Elizabeth Everest was third in the 200 medley relay (2:11.48) and second in the 200 freestyle relay; Everest won the 500 free (5:37.55), was fourth in the 100 backstroke (1:12.71); Rauch was fifth in the 200 free (2:15.47), third in the 50 free (28.71); Christina Saenz was fourth in the 100 butterfly (1:14.67) and the 100 breaststroke (1:22.07); Stella Carroll was third in the 100 free (1:06.16); and the team of Saenz, America Brena Gutierrez, Krahn and Kelsey Bradley was third in the 400 freestyle relay.
TRACK
Carson boys win
The Carson boys track team won the Sierra League Frosh/Soph Invitational on Friday at Galena High. The boys excelled in the throwing events and relay events to win the meet with 129 points. Damonte Ranch (112) was second followed by Galena (110).
In the discus, Ian Schulz (122-10), Christopher Miranda (118-03) and Corey Jasper (110-07) finished second, third and fourth for the Senators. Corey Jasper (43-08) and Schulz (40) were third and fourth in the shot put.
Hector Gomez-Barrios was third in the 200 (25.29) and second in the 400 (55.12). Jesus Lopez Rodriguez was second in the 800 (2:25.12); Connor Quilling was fifth in the 110 hurdles (20.39); Dennis Krueger was third in the 300 hurdles (48.01); Adam Maw was fourth in the 300 hurdles at 48.21.
Greg Wallace was fifth in the high jump (5-08) and seventh in the long jump (17-03); and Austin Lowe was ninth (8-0) in the pole vault.
The 4x100 relay team was fourth (50.24); the 4x200 relay team was second (1:33.30); the Senators took second and fourth in the 4x400 relay (3:51.20 and 4:22.50) and first and fifth in the 4x800 relay (9:54.52 and 10:44.27).
Carson girls fourth
Damonte Ranch (212 points) ran away with the Sierra League Frosh/Soph Invitational at Galena High School. Galena (128) and Fallon (85.5) finished ahead of Carson (75) during Friday’s meet.
Carson’s Hailey Palotas won the long jump with a leap of 14-02.50. Caroline Gabica won the triple jump (31-07.50) and was fifth in the long jump (13-01.50). Anya Woodbury (31-03.50) was second in the triple jump and second in the 100 meters (14.39). Jessie Balkwell (2:39.17) was second in the 800; Jiavanna Wongfonnato was fifth in the 1600 (6:33.78); and Azlynn McFadden was third in the discus (68-11). The 4x400 relay team was second (5:24.01) and the 4x800 relay team was third in 12:56.62.
The Senators were supposed to travel to Rocklin, Calif., for the Thunder Invitational on Saturday, but the weather canceled the trip.
Carson will be sending nine athletes to the prestigious West Coast Relays in Clovis, Calif., on Saturday. The rest of the Senators will be competing at the Northwest Invitational at McQueen. Coach Robert Maw said Athena Favero (110 hurdles and 300 hurdles), Maddie Preston (jumps) and Teresa Boehmer (throws) will represent the girls track team at the West Coast meet. Asa Carter (triple jump), Cody Baker (hurdles), Corey Reid ( 400 and high jump), Josue Orozco (throws), Ian Schulz (throws) and Aaron Woodbury (pole vaults and triple jump) will represent the boys track team.
JUCO Baseball
Wildcats sweep Southern Idaho
Jams don’t get much more stressful than the one relief pitcher Spencer Greer dealt with on Saturday afternoon at John L. Harvey Field.
The Western Nevada College sophomore was protecting a one-run lead against College of Southern Idaho with the potential tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position with two outs in the top of the seventh inning. With a base open, Greer instead focused on cleanup hitter R.J. Bush, retiring him looking at a third-strike curveball.
“He’s a pretty good hitter, and he actually hit a couple of homers off me last year, so to get him out and get him on your pitch is a good feeling,” Greer said.
After saving the 4-3 opening-game victory of the Scenic West Athletic Conference baseball twin bill, Greer blanked the Golden Eagles for four innings to lead the Wildcats to a 4-0 victory and a doubleheader sweep.
In the process, the Wildcats padded their second-place advantage in the SWAC, improving to 10-6, while CSI slipped to 7-9.
WNC pitching coach Josh Moody said that the call of the final pitch came from the bench.
“He’s got great command of his curveball, and we feel like he can throw it for a strike,” Moody said. “We were in the thought process that if we walk him there, we have an open base and we have a righty coming up, and Spencer is real good against righties.”
In blustery conditions with intermittent raindrops, the Wildcats jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Following a walk to leadoff hitter Conor Harber, Joey Crunkilton belted an offering from Makay Nelson over the left-field fence.
“I was just trying to hit something hard on the ground,” Crunkilton said. “I hit it really square ...”
The Wildcats added to their 2-0 lead in the third inning. Rayne Raven lined a two-out double down the left-field line and came home on Alex Fife’s base hit up the middle.
Relief pitcher Braxton Devereaux, however, escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the fourth inning with a forceout at the plate and a strikeout.
WNC extended its cushion to 4-0 in the fifth. Successive base hits by Fife, Christian Stolo and Cody Reynolds sent Fife home.
Raven allowed only three Golden Eagles to reach base in the first five frames.
But the Golden Eagles used an error to kick-start a sixth-inning rally. Skyler Souza’s two-run double to center cut WNC’s lead to 4-2. Bush pulled CSI within a run with a base hit to center. Cooper continued the rally with a wind-blown double away from right fielder Crunkilton, sending Bush to third base.
Greer replaced Raven on the mound and proceeded to walk Jordan Godman to fill the bases. Greer, however, settled in, striking out Preston Young on three pitches. Then, he induced a pop out off the bat of Cody Jenkins to leave the bases loaded and preserve WNC’s 4-3 lead.
With Raven sailing along with a shutout, Greer wasn’t expecting to enter the game.
“I asked (coach DJ Whittemore) if I could eat or if Rayne was going to go a complete game, which meant I could eat before the start of the next game,” Greer said. “I ended up eating the lunch and 30 seconds later, I have to go warm up. It was kind of a rough situation, but I was able to work through it.”
In the seventh, Isaac Anderson singled off Greer with one out to put the potential tying run on base. After a wild pitch moved Anderson into scoring position, Greer fanned Nathan Ackerman. Another wild pitch sent Anderson to third base and Souza walked on four pitches.
Souza took second base on defensive indifference, setting up the final confrontation with Bush. First baseman Stolo, who competed against Bush while he played for McQueen High and Bush suited up for Reno High School, was part of two meetings on the mound prior to Greer’s clutch strikeout for his second save of the season.
“He came out mainly to calm me down, but Stolo knows these guys, what pitches to throw and how to get them out, so you have to give a credit to him,” Greer said.
Raven gave up six hits and struck out six to earn his team-leading fifth win.
After surrendering a one-out single to Ackerman in the first inning of a wet and windy second game, Greer held the Golden Eagles hitless for the remainder of his outing. He finished with one strikeout and didn’t walk a batter.
CSI starting pitcher Zack Draper kept the Wildcats off the scoreboard until the fourth inning. Base hits by Reynolds and Austin Andrews and a walk to Fife loaded the bags. Draper hit Spenser Dorsey with a pitch to score Reynolds with the first run. Tony Roque’s safety squeeze bunt plated Fife with the Wildcats’ second run.
In the fifth, the Wildcats again used the sacrifice bunt to manufacture offense. This time, Raven executed the fundamental, bringing home Harber from third base to give WNC a 3-0 lead.
WNC pushed its lead to 4-0 in the sixth inning when Andrews came home on Kyle Henderson’s bases-loaded fielder’s choice.
Connor Zwetsch completed the shutout for the Wildcats, working the final three innings. He gave up one hit and struck out five.
Next up for the Wildcats (25-11 overall) is a road trip to SWAC-leading Salt Lake. The four-game series begins Friday.
— Western Nevada College