Shannon Litz / Nevada Appeal
There is a new top dog in District 1 11-12 all-stars.
Carson City Little League ended Washoe's three-year reign as champions with a 13-4 extra-inning win Wednesday night at Governors Field.
Carson's Zach Simms sent the game into extra innings with a solo homer in the sixth inning, and then the locals exploded for nine seventh-inning runs, including two two-run homers by Bryce Moyle, to become the first Carson City team to reach state since 1992.
The state tourney starts next weekend in Henderson.
"It feels great (to beat Washoe)," said Kyle Krebs, who threw 5.2 strong innings and also hit a three-run homer. "We'd lost to them the last two years."
"The kids did a great job," said Carson manager Kinkade DeJoseph. "Kyle Krebs hit that three-run homer to get us back in the game and then Zach Simms hit his first homer (of the season). It was a great job by the whole team."
Indeed.
Homers accounted for eight of Carson's 13 runs on Wednesday, and Moyle's blows were huge.
"Last year in all-stars," Moyle said when asked if he'd hit two homers in a game. "Never in the same inning. I was a little surprised we scored that many, but I knew we'd score some."
The nine-run barrage came against Cohen Kreitlein and Connor Noland, who are probably Washoe's No. 5 and No. 6 pitchers. Washoe had used its top three guys to work its way back through the loser's bracket after being shut out by Sparks Centennial in the second round.
An error started the uprising and Moyle followed with the first of his two homers to make it 6-4. Jayden DeJoseph followed with a double and scored on a double by Krebs to stretch the lead to 7-4. After an out, Tez Allen reached on an error and Simms walked. Tommy Gall followed with a two-run single to pad the lead to 9-4. Gall moved to second on the throw home, and he scored on a single by Jesse Lopez. A single by Kyle Glanzman made it 11-4 and Moyle capped the excitement with his second two-run homer of the inning.
Jace Keema, who took over with two outs in the sixth after Krebs reached the maximum pitch count, easily retired the side to end Carson's biggest all-star win in 19 years.
It was a great end to a game that didn't start out so well for Carson.
Washoe roughed up Krebs for three first-inning runs when leadoff hitter Gavin Bullis doubled to deep center, Trever Schreyer was hit by a pitch and Oliver Shawa homered to right-center.
"A little bit," said Krebs when asked if he was nervous. "I felt good after I gave up that three-run homer in the first. I was missing my locations a lot in the first."
Washoe added another run in the second when Kreitlein singled and came around to score on two wild pitches.
That was it for the Washoe offense which managed just two hits the rest of the way off Krebs and Keema. The duo combined for eight strikeouts in the last five innings.
"It feels good," said Krebs, who was coming back form an arm injury. "I hadn't really pitched in the last two months. My fastball was working well (after the first inning)."
Washoe starter Jake Berger retired the first nine batters he faced, but Carson roared back with three in the fourth, and it probably should have been more.
Moyle singled and DeJoseph walked. After both runners moved up on a wild pitch, Krebs blasted a three-run homer. Berger retired Keema, but departed in favor of Noland.
A walk, single and error loaded the bases, but Noland struck out Stuart McElhaney to end the threat.
Carson tied the game at 4 on the aforementioned Simms homer, setting the stage for a wild sixth inning.
Moyle led the 11-hit attack with four hits and four RBIs, while Simms and Krebs finished with two hits each. Krebs also knocked in four runs.
