laying in the toughest bracket in the Nevada District I Little League All-Star Tournament, it was a given that the Carson Valley 11-12 All-Stars would run into a couple of big challenges.
Through the first two games of the tournament, the bracket has proven everything it has cracked up to be.
Carson Valley suffered twin 15-10 losses against Sparks Centennial and Reno American West at Terrace Sports Complex in Reno.
"All the top teams are in our bracket," Carson Valley coach Tim Jacobsen said. "We have a long road ahead of us, but the kids are playing very hard."
The Carson Valley offense has managed two solid games, led by Jackson Ketron, Michael Nolting, Conner Peterson and Hunter Meyers.
"We had a really good game against Reno American West, but it was one of those things where they scored a bunch of runs, nine runs, late in the game to get the win."
The Carson Valley 10-11-year-olds wrapped up their tournament last week with a tough loss to eventual district-champ Washoe in the first round of the single-elimination bracket.
Carson Valley held an 8-5 lead over Washoe heading into the fourth inning but Washoe came back for the win.
Among the team's leaders were Seth Trivitt, who played at third base and right field with a big RBI against South Tahoe.
Parker Dixon had three hits against Washoe and led the team for the tournament with 10 hits. He was flawless defensively as well.
"This kid loves baseball as much as any kid I've ever seen," Carson Valley coach Stacy Trivitt said. "He leads by example and I would love to have the opportunity to coach him again."
Austin Evans played stellar defense in center field, pitched againt Carson National and had his first home run against Reno National.
Sullivan Cauley played a solid second base for the team and sported an on-base percentage of over .700. He had five hits in the tournament and also took a few turns on the mound despite a nagging shoulder injury.
Catcher Teddy Mason shut down the opportunity for passed balls throughout the tournament and collected five hits, including a couple of home runs.
"That's just another blue collar kid who showed a lot of grit getting dirty when he had to," Trivitt said.
Kyle Johnson came up big for Carson Valley against Washoe, collecting two hits, including a two-run line drive.
He finished with six hits for the tournament and pitched well on a number of occasions for Carson Valley, including a two-hit, one-run performance against Carson National.
"He's a big kid with a live arm and a bat that is just coming into its own," Trivitt said.
Taylen Simms put together three hits against Washoe, including a triple. He was a true utility man for Carson Valley, stepping in at five different positions during the tournament.
Ace pitcher Cody Schmidlin had a number of big games for Carson Valley and struck out Washoe's top hitter three times. He also stepped in at catcher a number of times during the tournament.
Right fielder Cole Peck had a number of timely hits during the tournament, including a big double against South Tahoe.
Trivitt also noted Parker Hoshizaki for his play at the plate.
"The kid is just a contact hitter that will get to any pitch thrown to him," Trivitt said.
Taylor Souza took a number of turns on the mound after not pitching much during the regular season and became one of Carson Valley's top relievers during the tournament.
"He made a few adjustments to his swin and was really hitting the ball well," Trivitt said. "He had a couple of big hits for us when we needed them."
Trivitt noted Mattie Jones for coming up with one of the top at-bats in the entire tournament against Washoe's top pitcher.
Jones was also one of Carson Valley's top base runners and had a couple big catches in the outfield.
"This was a very gritty, determined group of kids who simply love to play baseball," Trivitt said. "I'm extremely proud of their efforts and thankful to their parents for making the sacrifice to let them play."
