Carson shortstop Bailey Allen completes a double play with a throw to first during Saturday's game against Reno.
Carson High’s softball team ran the gamut offensively Saturday against Reno.
In the opening game, Carson dropped a 7-6 decision in eight innings because it couldn’t come up with a clutch hit in the sixth in a tie game. In the second game, the Senators offense went AWOL, managing just three hits off Kaylee Spencer in an 8-0 loss.
“We made three key mistakes that cost us that (first) game,” Carson coach Shane Quilling said. “We bunted well and batted well that first game. We did everything we needed to do to win the game. I thought Jailene (Salciedo) pitched a great game.”
Salciedo gave up just three earned runs, two in the second and the game-winning tally in the eighth. At one point she retired 10 of 11 batters following a second-inning double to winning pitcher Morgan Eisele.
Carson trailed 5-4 after two innings, but went up 6-5 with single runs in the fourth and fifth.
In the fourth, Bailey Allen was hit by a pitch with one out. She moved to second on a passed ball and scored on a two-out double by Nicole Brown. Gabbi Winder was caught loking at a third strike to end the inning.
In the fifth, Kassidy Cooley reached on an infield hit and moved all the way to third when Lauren Lemburg’s bunt single was thrown away by the Reno third baseman. With Elise Brady at the plate, Lemburg and pinch-runner Terryn Earle tried to pull off a double steal, but Earle was thrown ot at the late. Lemburg scored on a two-out single to left by Brady to make it 6-5. Faith Bigelow was caught looking at a third strike to end the inning.
Reno tied the game at 6 in the top of the sixth when Hannah Flynn’s flyball to center was misplayed by Lemburg. Shelby Zucco singled Flynn to third. and Flynn scored on an errant pick-off attempt by catcher Camiell Simpson, tying the game at 6.
Then came the fateful bottom of the inning.
Allen, who reached base four times, walked and advanced to second on Simpson’s perfect sacrifice bunt. Brown walked and Winder singled, loading the bases.
Salciedo was caught looking at a third strike and Cooley was retired on a comebacker to end the threat.
Of Carson’s eight strikeouts, six were looking, a stat Quilling didn’t like.
“We had six strikeouts looking,” Quilling said. “I can deal with strikeouts, but we’ve got to be up there swinging.”
Reno went ahead in the eighth when Cosette Cook doubled home Spencer.
Eisele retired Carson 1-2-3 in the eighth,
Spencer tossed a gem in the second contest. She allowed back-to-back singles to Allen and Simpson in the first, but just one hit thereafter.
“She did a good job of changing speeds,” Quilling said. “She kept us off balance.
“The bottom line is if you can’t hit you’re not going to win.”
Carson’ s best chance to score was in the bottom of the first after Reno had scored three times off Lemburg.
After the aforementioned hits by Allen and Simpson, Spencer fanned Brown, Winder and Salciedo.
The three strikeouts started a streak of 13 straight batters retired before Lemburg reached on an error in the fifth.