Carson Senator Josiah Pongasi attempts to turn a double play with Damonte Ranch's Jonny Damon sliding into second during the Senator's 2-1 victory, Reno, NV
He pitches Carson to win against Damonte Ranch
RENO — Bryce Moyle has turned in plenty of stellar pitching performances this year for the Carson Senators, but none better than Wednesday’s playoff outing against regular-season champion Damonte Ranch.
Moyle tamed the top-seeded Mustangs on seven hits in a 2-1 win, ending Damonte’s season and extending Carson’s season by at least one more day.
Carson plays Bishop Manogue today at 1 at University of Nevada’s Peccole Park in another elimination game. Reed plays McQueen at 4, and Reno meets Galena at 7. Reno and Galena are the lone unbeaten teams left in the six-team field. Carson split two regular-season games against Manogue,
Moyle, who threw 106 pitches, baffled the Mustangs all day with a great breaking ball. It was his best outing since 2-hitting Spanish Springs earlier this year.
“I pitched well against Spanish Springs, and I threw pretty well the last time against Damonte Ranch,” Moyle said. “I worked on it (the breaking ball) in the bullpen. I knew I couldn’t throw the ball by this team. We’re a big game team when our backs are against the wall.”
And, Moyle is the Senators’ big-game man on the hill.
“Obviously it was absolutely a fantastic outing by Bryce,” Carson coach Bryan Manoukian said. “Hands down that was the best game he’s pitched all season.
“Damonte is a tremendous baseball team. I feel bad for their players. It’s a tough way to end the season after a very strong start.”
And, Carson had a hand in Damonte’s recent demise. The Senators broke Damonte’s 17-game win streak earlier this year at Ron McNutt Field, and then eliminated the Mustangs from the tournament Wednesday.
Moyle was only in trouble twice.
The first time was in the fifth when he hung a 2-2 curveball to Jared Blake, who ripped a one-out double, sending Tyler Oscarson around to third.
Moyle retired the dangerous Grant Goff on a pop-up to short right field and then got Daniel Page on a flyball to right.
In the sixth, he gave up an opposite-field homer to Tommy Dolan on a 2-2 fastball,which cut Carson’s lead to 2-1.
“We’d thrown him four straight fastballs, and we figured he’d be looking for a curveball,” Moyle said. “He sat on the fastball.”
As good as Moyle was, Damonte’s Bradley Bourdase was equally as tough. Moyle fanned seven and walked one, and Bourdase fanned four and walked one while allowing six hits.
Carson took a 1-0 lead in the second when Jace Keema doubled to left-centerfield, moved to third on Seamus Burns’ infield single and scored when the Mustangs turned Terek Been’s groundball into a double play.
Bourdase worked out of a jam in the third when he retired Josiah Pongasi on a flyball to right and got Kyle Krebs to flail at a ball off the plate for the inning-ending strikeout.
Carson increased its lead to 2-0 in the top of the sixth.
Krebs hit a one-out single and moved to second on a wild pitch and to third when Brandon Allen beat out a roller to second. Keema followed with a groundball to short, forcing Allen, whose hard slide was enough to disrupt the relay throw to first and Krebs scored on the play.
“We did a lot of little things well today,” Manoukian said. “We took advantage when we had opportunities. We ran hard 90s. We played the game the right way.
“We didn’t have very good approaches at the plate. I thought we chased too many pitches up in the zone.”