The Carson High baseball team scored five runs in the seventh inning to break open a close game on the way to a hard-earned 10-3 win on Thursday at North Valleys.
Carson received a valiant effort from Tim Priess, who threw about 115 pitches while giving up two earned runs and striking out eight through five innings for the win. Ryan Henry came in to pitch two scoreless innings for the save.
Carl Winter had three hits, Ryan Gonzalez and Murph Glover each had two hits and Neil Holmes had three RBIs for the Senators (12-2, 5-2 in the Sierra League), who had 11 hits.
"I was pleased that we got 11 hits," said Carson coach Ron McNutt, who picked up his 595th win. "Those were all key hits for us at the right time."
Carson jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first. Winter led off with a single, Gonzalez singled, Glover singled and Holmes had a two-run single during the rally.
In the bottom of the first, Priess worked out of a jam after North Valleys had runners at first and third with one out. The Panthers cut the lead to 3-1 in the third after two walks and a wild pitch.
In the fourth, Owen Brolsma doubled, stole third and scored on an error to give the Senators a 4-1 lead. In the bottom of the fourth, North Valleys cut the lead to 4-2 on a single and a walk.
In the fifth, Winter singled, Ben Moore had a sacrifice bunt and Carson eventually loaded the bases. Holmes then drew a walk to force in a run to make it 5-2.
Priess worked out of a jam in the bottom of the fifth when he struck out the side after the Panthers had runners at first and third with no outs.
In the sixth, two errors and a single that made it 5-3 chased Priess. But Henry came in to pitch two scoreless innings, allowing no hits while striking out two. Brolsma also threw out a runner trying to steal in the sixth.
"He did a good job and Ryan coming in, he did a real good job for us," said McNutt about Priess and Henry.
In the seventh, Glover singled, Willie Bowman's single scored pinch runner Josh Burau and Aaron Henry walked. Andrew James then executed a suicide squeeze to score a run and reached on a bunt single.
Gonzalez finished the rally with a two-run single. "Ryan Gonzalez stepped in and did a good job," McNutt said.
