Carson shortstop Bella Kordonowy makes a diving stop Thursday against Reed.
RENO — Carson High’s baseball team showed definite signs of life Thursday afternoon, fighting back from two deficits in the first four innings, before falling to Galena, 8-7, in a Northern 4A game.
The win gave the Grizzlies a sweep of the two-game series. It was the second sweep of the Senators this season. Spanish Springs also swept CHS. Carson is now 6-8 in league with just eight games left. Carson hosts Bishop Manogue at 11 a.m. in a Saturday doubleheader.
Carson played without Bryce Moyle, who injured his nonthrowing shoulder Tuesday night swinging at a pitch. He’s expected to pitch on Saturday. It isn’t known whether he will hit or not. His bat was certainly missed on Thursday.
“I thought we came out and competed better than we have been the last couple of weeks,” said coach Bryan Manoukian of his team’s 10-hit effort. “We got down early and battled back twice from deficits (4-0 and 7-4). We just didn’t have enough to get it done in the end.
“I think Bryce will be fine. I just wanted to rest him today to give him a chance to heal.”
All the game’s runs were scored in the first four innings, but the Senators made things interesting in the final three innings.
In the fifth, an error, a single by Trevor Edis and a hit batsman loaded the bases with one out. Brandon Gagnon struck out and Kyle Glanzmann rolled out to short.
Jace Keema, who went 3-for-3 and drove in two runs, hit a one-out single in the sixth. Abel Carter flied out to right and Landon Truesdale was called out on strikes to end the inning.
Kahle Good led off the seventh with an infield single off freshman reliever Nolan Craddock, who chalked up the save. Craddock is scheduled to start Saturday against Wooster.
Good went to second on Jared Barnard’s sacrifice bunt. Moments later, Craddock uncorked a wild pitch. Catcher Niko Pezonella fired a strike to cut down the sliding Good. Manoukian argued the call to no avail.
Not surprisingly, six of Carson’s 10 hits came in the two innings when the Senators scored their runs. Carson had a hit in each of the final three innings, but went back to its old ways of not getting a clutch hit.
Perhaps the key play in the game came in the opening inning, and unfortunately it cost the Senators and starting pitcher Derek Schafer three big runs.
With one out and runners on first and second, Austin Wickham hit a flyball to left. Gagnon’s first steps were back and he never recovered, the ball dropping in front of him for a single that loaded the bases. After Andrew West struck out, Mateo Lemus slammed a double just inside the line at third, clearing the bases.
Galena made it 4-0 in the second when Schafer plunked No. 9 hitter Charles Douglas, who scored on Tommy Lichty’s double.
Carson fought back against Galena starter Brandon Schied, scoring four times, all unearned. Galena made things easy at times, making six errors in the game.
Edis reached on an error, and was replaced by Luke Myers, who was picked off. Gagnon doubled to right-centerfield and scored when Jesse Lopez’s groundball was mishandled. Keema followed with a run-scoring double and Abel Carter followed with a game-tying homer.
Schafer was unable to hold the lead, however, yielding three runs to make it 7-4 after three. All three were unearned, as Keema made a critical two-out error to extend the inning.
Carson came back again in the third thanks to two more Galena errors.
Barnard reached on an error and advanced to second on a single by Edis. An errant pick-off throw moved the runners up a base. After a sacrifice fly by Glanzmann, Lopez doubled home a run to make it 7-6, and Keema tied it with a run-scoring single.
“Jace has been right there,” Manoukian said. “He is swinging it well. He had a good offensive day.”
“Our defense is in a funk right now,” Galena coach Beau Walker said. “Luckily, our pitchers bailed us out by throwing strikes. Carson swung it a lot better today.”
Galena went ahead for good in the bottom of the fourth when Lichty (3-for-4) tripled to right and scored on Wickham’s sacrifice fly to center.
MANOGUE 3, DOUGLAS 1
RENO — Michael Davis pitched a complete game three-hitter to lead Bishop Manogue to a 3-1 Northern 4A victory against Douglas on Thursday afternoon.
Davis pitched no-hit ball through four innings and finished with 10 strikeouts and one walk.
Douglas (7-7 league, 10-9 overall) received solid performances from Haden Keller and Riley Wilkinson, who combined to pitch a one-hitter. Keller allowed three runs (one earned) on one hit with four strikeouts and nine walks.
Oliver Shawa delivered the lone hit, a two-run single in the first inning that gave Manogue (8-6, 11-11) an early lead.
SOFTBALL
Reed thumps Carson
The visiting Raiders scored in every inning en route to a 13-1 mercy rule win over the Senators in a 4A game Thursday afternoon.
Allie Hughes and Jessica Sellers homered in the first to give the Raiders a quick 2-0 lead. Reed scored five in the second and three in the third and fourth.
All Julia Jensen needed were those two early runs. The Reed ace threw a four-hitter, the only blemish coming in the third when Kailee Luschar homered. Jensen struck out 12 and walked just one.
Carson’s other three hits came from Nicole Brown, Jailene Salceido and Kassidy Cooley.
Carson visits Manogue for a double-header Saturday at 11 a.m.
SPANISH SPRINGS 10, DOUGLAS 9, 9 innings
MINDEN — Courtney Huff singled home the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth inning and then turned an unassisted double play in the bottom half of the inning as Spanish Springs held on for a 10-9 Northern 4A win at Douglas on Thursday afternoon.
Douglas (4-8 league, 6-18 overall) rallied from a 6-0 deficit, thanks to home runs from Kettja Bennett, Bailey Walters and Alyssa Smokey to take the defending state champion Cougars down to the wire.
Bennett hit a grand-slam in the fifth inning and Walters hit a two-run shot in the sixth that tied the score at 7-7 and ultimately sent the game to extra innings.
After Spanish Springs (11-2, 19-5) scored three runs in the top of the ninth, Smokey hit a two-run homer to make it 10-9. Douglas had the potential tying and winning runs on first and second with one out, however, Huff caught a line drive at shortstop and stepped on second base for the game-ending double play.
Two singles started the Cougars’ ninth inning rally. Huff lined a two-run single to right field and Aubrey Parks followed with another RBI single to put the Cougars on top, 10-7. Huff hit 4-for-5 with five RBI, including a solo home run in the sixth inning.
Freshman Deztiny Vaughan pitched nine innings for Douglas, allowing five earned runs on 14 hits to go with 10 strikeouts and one walk.
Spanish Springs freshman Kaylah House pitched the final four innings and allowed two runs on six hits to earn credit for the win.
GOLF
Carson finishes fourth
RENO — Lakoda Smokey shot a 10-over-par 82 to lead the Senators to fourth place at the weekly Sierra League tournament at Arrowcreek on Wednesday afternoon.
Bebop Martinez shot 84, but Carson’s other four players were 100 or higher. Zander Smokey shot 100, Bradley Wiggins 103, Ty Evans 108 and Ethan Lepire 113.
Galena won with a 388, two shots better than Bishop Manogue.
Damonte Ranch was third with a 447.
— Dave Price of the Record Courier contributed to this report.