Abel Carter
SPARKS — What started out as a promising day turned into a disaster.
Carson rolled to a quick 4-0 lead, but gave up nine unanswered runs and dropped a 9-4 decision to Spanish Springs in a Northern 4A baseball game Monday afternoon.
The loss was the third straight for the Senators, who are 1-3 in league play. Carson opens a two-game series against Reed starting Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Ron McNutt Field.
Abel Carter gave Carson an early 2-0 lead when he hit an opposite-field homer off Tanner Smith, scoring Jesse Lopez, who had singled with one out.
In the second, Kyle Glanzmann singled and advanced to second on a single by Landon Truesdale. After the runners moved up to second and third on a wild pitch, Lopez grounded out to short to score Glanzmann. A double steal between Truesdale and Carter scored the final run.
That is when the game went south on Carson, as the Cougars raked CHS starter Jared Barnard for six runs and seven hits in the bottom of the second.
The surge was keyed by Josh Prizina’s two-run single, Dawson Martin had a solo homer and Marlin Brucato had a run-scoring single.
In the fourth, the Cougars struck for three more runs, all unearned as Carter made two errors.
“This is a tough park to pitch in,” Carson coach Bryan Manoukian said. “The wind was blowing out to right, and they got a couple up into the jet stream.”
Between errors, walks and hit batsmen, Carson gave up seven free bases, and five of those runners scored.
Josh Prizina walked with one out, advanced to second when Martin was hit by a pitch and scored on an error. An error loaded the bases, and Joey Prizina drove in two runs with a single to center to complete the uprising.
Manoukian got two scoreless innings from Ben Nelson and Glanzmann.
The Senators managed just four hits over the last five innings, leaving runners in scoring position in the third, fourth and seventh innings.
“We have been playing pretty good defense,” Manoukian said. “Today we didn’t.
“They had one big inning. If it wasn’t for that it’s a different game. We definitely have to play better defense, make adjustments at the plate and pitch better.”
Lopez and Trevor Edis had two hits apiece, while Truesdale, Carter, Jace Keema and Glanzmann had one each.