Carson baseball routs Green Valley

The Carson High baseball has served notice that its ready for the stretch run of the season.

Carson ended an impressive weekend with a 10-1 win over defending NIAA/U.S. Bank 4A State champion Green Valley on Saturday in Las Vegas. The Senators (23-8) were coming off a heartbreaking, but encouraging, 12-11 loss to Durango, ranked No. 13 in the nation by USA Today.

Against Green Valley, Ryan Buttner was masterful, allowing two hits -- a bunt single and an infield single -- through four shutout innings while striking out five and walking none.

Rodney Black also ended an outstanding weekend, going 4-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Black had six hits on the weekend.

Willie Bowman crushed a three-run home run, following up his grand slam home run against Durango. Murph Glover also had two hits, including a double.

Another hot hitter for the Senators was Jon Teeter, who went 2-for-2 and was 3-for-3 on the weekend. Teeter is now 5 for his last 5. Carson banged out 24 hits over the weekend, including 13 against Green Valley.

"I was really pleased with the hitting of the team," Carson coach Ron McNutt said. "Our kids swung the bat as well as they've swung it all year."

Carson took a 2-0 lead in the first after Carl Winter walked and Ryan Gonzalez reached on a bunt single. Winter scored on an error and Black's RBI single made it 2-0.

Buttner got out of a jam in the second after an error, hit batsman and sacrifice bunt gave Green Valley runners at second and third with one out. Buttner got a strikeout and a groundout to end the inning. During one stretch, Buttner retired seven straight batters.

In the third, Owen Brolsma had an RBI single and Bowman belted his three-run homer to give the Senators a 6-0 lead. Teeter's bunt single scored Black, who had doubled, to give Carson a 7-0 lead in the fifth. Black's RBI single gave the Senators an 8-1 lead in the sixth.

Carson took a 10-1 lead in the seventh on the strength of singles by Neil Holmes, Teeter and Winter and Glover's RBI single.

Jake Rasner pitched two scoreless innings for Carson, with help from some solid defense by the Senators in the sixth. Left fielder Steve Hartman relayed a throw to Bowman at third, who nailed a runner trying to score at the plate.

"We had great pitching and we played great defense," McNutt said.

"We came out feeling pretty good," McNutt also said about the two games. "We feel good coming home now."