The Carson High baseball team has shown it can play against two of the state's best teams. But all the Senators have to show for it, is two frustrating one-run losses.
Carson held leads of 6-2, 7-3 and 11-7, but couldn't hold on as Durango came back to beat the Senators 12-11 on Friday in Las Vegas. Willie Bowman belted a grand slam home run and Ben Moore had an impressive two-run homer against the wind to left field for the Senators (22-8).
But it wasn't enough to hold off Durango, ranked No. 13 in the nation by USA Today. Durango is tied for first place with Bishop Gorman in the Sunset Division's Southwest League. Carson also lost to Gorman 4-3 in a wood bat tournament in Southern Nevada earlier in the year.
Bowman, Moore, Rodney Black and Ryan Gonzalez all had two hits for the Senators. But Carson couldn't break through in the last two innings against Don Sutton, who struck out four for the win.
Carson took a 2-0 lead in the first after Gonzalez singled and Moore belted his homer. Durango tied it in the bottom of the first off of Tim Priess on the strength of an error, single and two-run single.
Priess needed only four pitches to retire Durango in order in the second. Bowman's grand slam homer gave Carson a 6-2 lead in the third. Durango cut the lead to 6-3 in the bottom of the third on the strength of a walk, balk and sacrifice fly.
After Moore walked in the fourth, Murph Glover nearly hit a two-run homer when his drive bounced off the right field wall. Glover settled for an RBI double that gave Carson a 7-3 lead.
But Priess was chased in the fourth after a double gave Durango runners at second and third with no outs. Durango went on to tie the score 7-7 on the strength of three hits, three walks and two wild pitches.
Ryan Henry came into the game with the bases loaded and one out. He got a groundball to Bowman at third. Bowman threw home to Owen Brolsma, who threw to Glover at first for a double play.
Carson responded with four runs in the fifth, with Carl Winter's two-run single giving the Senators a 9-7 lead. Gonzalez singled and Winter scored on an error on the play and Gonzalez eventually scored on an error to make it 11-7.
Durango cut the lead to 11-8 in the bottom of the fifth on the strength of a single, hit batsman and two walks. In the sixth, a double and two singles cut the lead to 11-9 for Durango. After a suicide squeeze made it 11-10, a two-run single gave Durango a 12-11 lead.
Jon Teeter singled and went to second on Winter's sacrifice bunt in the seventh. Teeter stole third, but was left stranded there to end the game. Brolsma added a single for the Senators.
