McQueen’s Clark too much for Carson High baseball

After a double-digit scoring game against North Valleys on Tuesday, Carson’s offense was grounded by McQueen’s Drew Clark.

Clark scattered six hits and needed just 76 pitches to subdue the Senators, 4-2, Wednesday night at Ron McNutt Field.

The loss dropped Carson to 5-6 in league play heading into Saturday’s game at McQueen. The Senators will send Bryce Moyle to the hill in an attempt to avoid their second series sweep of the season.

“He (Clark) is a very good pitcher,” Carson coach Bryan Manoukian said after the loss. “I thought our approach was OK. We hit too many fly balls early in the game. He was better on the mound than we were at the dish.”

“He was good,” said Carson senior Jesse Lopez, who had two of Carson’s hits and scored both runs. “He is definitely one of the best pitchers we’ve faced all season. He had pretty good speed.”

Other than the first and sixth when Carson scored, the Senators had just one other runner in scoring position.

“He came in and threw really well,”McQueen coach Spenser Downie said. “That really helps us out a ton. You could see him again on Saturday late in the game.”

The Lancers nicked Carson starter Jared Barnard for a run in the first when Austin Parry walked, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Austin Majorsky and scored on Nelson Padilla’s double down the left-field line.

Carson knotted the game in the first when Lopez beat out an infield hit to short and advanced to second when Padilla’s throw sailed past first. He scored moments later on Abel Carter’s single. Clark retired Moyle on a liner to left and caught Jace Keema looking at a third strike.

McQueen finally got back on the board in the fourth when Padilla walked, moved to third on a single by Joel Seth and scored on Matt Farmen’s single. Barnard fanned Dylan Thomas and got Nathan Knowles on an infield out to end the inning.

“His pitch count was up early, but I thought he settled down in the middle (third and fourth innings),” Manoukian said.

The Lancers extended the lead to 4-1 in the fifth when Parry tripled and scored on Clark’s two-out wind-aided homer to right on a 1-2 pitch.

“Jared didn’t get the ball out far enough on the 1-2 pitch,” Manoukian said.

Relievers Colby Zemp and Cole McDannald each threw a scoreless inning of relief.

Carson got back in the game in the bottom of the sixth when Lopez doubled to the alley in right-center field. He moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a triple by Carter. Moyle followed with a fly ball to left. Even though the ball wasn’t hit real deep, Carter tagged up and tried to score. Parry threw a strike to the plate, and Carter was called out on a controversial call, in Carson’s eyes, by plate umpire Don Marchand.

“I didn’t like the play at the plate at all,” Manoukian said. “Don said he got him on the wrist.”

Had Carter held up, he likely would have scored on the next play when Keema hit a hard groundball to second. Instead it was the third out.

Clark finished in solid fashion, striking out Trevor Edis and Kahle Good on strikes. Clark struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter.

Other than the two double-digit games against Hug, one against North Valleys and Tuesday against McQueen, Carson has been held to four runs or less seven times in 11 games.