Carson City’s WNC baseball splits with Spartans

After a sluggish first inning, Ty Fox was lights out in the first game of Friday’s doubleheader against Colorado Northwestern.

Fox left the bases loaded in the first, and went on to allow just one unearned run over the next five innings to help Western Nevada College to a 7-1 Scenic West Athletic Conference win at John L. Harvey Field.

In the second game, Colorado Northwestern dropped down two run-scoring bunts in a five-run eighth inning en route to a 6-1 victory and a split.

The teams conclude the four-game series with a single game today at noon.

Fox, who improved to 2-1, struck out three and walked three in his six-inning stint. D.J. Peters pitched a scoreless seventh in the non-save appearance.

Fox’s first inning was also his worst.

After retiring the first two batters, he plunked former Carson High star Luke Maher in the back. Maher moved to second on a single by Ben Martinez and to third on a passed ball. Tanner Nieslanik walked to load the bases, but Fox struck out Larenz Stansfield to end the threat.

Fox allowed just three more hits over the next five innings, and the only run he allowed was set up by a David Modler error.

“I felt comfortable the whole way,” Fox said. “I was spotting my fastball. My curve and change weren’t on point as they normally are. I had to find my zone and get used to the umpire.”

“He settled in,” WNC coach D.J. Whittemore said. “He has a good three-pitch mix. He’s a good competitor, and he’s used to winning. The full-count strikeout (of Stansfield) set the stage (for our big inning) because the game is different if they get the lead. He executed the pitch, and as far as I’m concerned that was the difference right there.”

The Wildcats’ offense came in and took control of the game from the outset.

Bradley Lewis, Jake Bennett and Kody Reynolds all singled, the latter driving in a run. Tim Lichty followed with a run-scoring double , D.J. Peters added a run-scoring single and Corey Pool hit a sacrifice fly to make it 4-0. The hit by Bennett marked the 26th straight game he’d reached base.

The Wildcats stretched their lead to 6-0 in the third when Peters singled and took second on a wild pitch. Pool walked, and both runners scored on a double to deep left-centerfield by Brandon Lapointe. Ashton Montoya relieved starter Anthony Antos and retired the next three hitters.

Nieslanik reached on an error to start the fourth and went to third on a single by ex-Spanish Springs star Matt Mannens. With Cruz Vigil up, Mannens broke for second, and stayed in a rundown long enough for Nieslanik to score to make it 6-1.

Peters completed the scoring in the fifth with a solo homer to deep left-centerfield. He’s on fire at the plate, hitting in 11 of his last 13 games. In that span, he’s hitting .414 with 11 RBI. He’s moved from seventh to fifth in the order in recent weeks.

“I’ve always known I’m a good hitter, but I wasn’t showing it,” Peters said. “I feel like I’ve been doing that.

“I didn’t start that well (in Vegas). I’ll show him (Whittemore) I’m a better hitter. I’ve been working a lot with coach Demo (Aaron Demosthenes) on being shorter to the ball. I like hitting behind Tim (Lichty, ex-Galena star) because I know he’s going to get on base.”

Fox allowed two runners to reach on singles in the sixth before retiring Mannens on a pop-up.

In the nightcap, zeros ruled thanks to some great pitching by CNCC starter Trevor Bradley and WNC’s Max Karnos.

Each team scored a run in the second.

Daniel Naus singled home Bryce Lich, and then Pool’s sacrifice fly that scored Lichty, who had reached on a walk, knotted the game at 1. WNC left the bases loaded in the second when Brogan Secrist lined out to third.

The Wildcats had a chance to win it in the last of the seventh.

With one out, Peters collected his fifth hit of the twin-bill. He moved to second on Pool’s single, and both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch. Pinch-hitter Blake Morin walked to load the bases.

That brought up No. 8 hitter David Modler, who worked the count to 3-1. He sent a groundball back up the middle, and for a moment it looked like WNC had won the game. Shortstop Greg Reynolds cut the ball off and flipped it to second baseman Riley Akers for the force, and Akers’ throw nipped Modler at first.

Did Whittemore think squeeze bunt at all with Modler?

“Absolutely,” Whittemore said. “When it got to 3-1 I didn’t think that was a good pitch to squeeze on.”

Karnos, who had stymied Colorado on five hits through seven innings, ran into trouble in the top of the eighth.

He walked Maher, gave up a single to Lich and a run-scoring double to right by Nieslanik which gave the Spartans a 2-1 lead. With runners on second and third, Naus dropped down a bunt and beat it out to score Lich and make it 3-1. Walker Rochlin followed with a suicide squeeze to score another run. Ben Martinez followed with a pinch single off reliever Thomas Kerr to make it 5-1, and Akers tripled home a run to make it 6-1.

WNC went out quietly in the eighth.

“We got beat, there is nothing more to say,” Whittemore said. “Max threw his guts out. He made a ton of quality pitches.”

But one run won’t win many games.

NOTES: Maher went 0-for-5 in the twin-bill. He was hitting .327 going into the game. The Spanish Springs duo of Gehrig Parks and Matt Mannens each went hitless in the opener. Parks got the pitching win in the nightcap... Chase Kaplan will start the series final today ... WNC hosts Mt. Hood in a four-game series next Friday and Saturday. The start times are noon...The next conference series is against CSN.