Blue Jays put on small-ball clinic in win over Manogue

RENO - The Carson Blue Jays put on a small-ball clinic.

Carson dropped down five bunts. Two went for hits, once the batter-runner was safe on a throwing error and two moved runners up a base as was intended.

All five led to runs, as the Blue Jays knocked off Bishop Manogue 11-5 in a summer high school baseball game Thursday at Manogue.

"We've actually made a point at getting better at it," Carson coach Cody Farnworth said. "We've done some extra work."

There is a method to Farnworth's madness. Carson players have been swinging wood bats during summer games, and with less lively bats being introduced in high school baseball next spring, bunting figures to play a huge role in the outcome of games.

"We probably spent 90 minutes bunting the other day," senior-to-be Nick Domitrovich said. "He (Farnworth) wants us to get better."

Another key to the game was the wildness of Manogue's pitchers. Carson hitters walked 11 times and three players were hit by pitches. Seven times a batter that walked or was hit scored.

"You have to take advantage of those (walks)," Farnworth said. "I think they were missing some of their older players today."

Carson scored two runs in each of the first two innings en route to a quick 4-0 lead.

With two outs and a runner at third, Chance Quilling's groundball was booted to score the first run. After Rory Petersen walked, Casey Wolfe singled to right to score Quilling. Petersen was thrown out at third to end the inning.

In the second, Drew Moreland and T.J. Thomsen walked. Both came around to score on Brock Pradere's bloop single to right field.

Domitrovich, who sailed through the first inning, allowed a run in the second thanks to two walks, two hit batsmen and a bloop single to right.

Domitrovich threw four innings, allowing a run and two hits. He struck out five and walked two. He left the game with a 5-1 lead after throwing 65 pitches.

"It was good to see Nick throw," Farnworth said. "I thought he threw pretty well. He had tendinitis and he never got back into it (pitching). We'll try to build him back up. He'll be on a pitch count most of the time."

"It's the first time I've been out there in quite a while," Domitrovich said. "I thought I threw pretty well. I couldn't find my stuff in the second inning. I was only supposed to pitch three innings, but my arm felt good so I went another inning."

Carson made it 5-1 in the fourth when Gehrig Tucker walked and moved to second when Thomsen beat out a bunt. Tucker eventually scored on a passed ball. Pradere also laid down a nice bunt and was safe on an error by the catcher.

The Blue Jays made it 8-1 in the top of the fifth, scoring three runs on just one hit. Manogue reliever Austin Vial hit two batters, walked a batter and yielded a bunt single to Wolfe. Moreland also laid down a bunt to move runners into scoring position. Thomsen and Pradere walked with the bases loaded to force in runs and Domitrovich was hit by a pitch to score the other run.

Wolfe came on to throw the fifth, and he was touched for two runs and four hits to make it 8-3. Kyle Pruneau drove in both runs with a single.

Carson closed out its scoring in the sixth with three runs on two hits off reliever Brett Pilling. Petersen and Wolfe both singled and both cam around to score. Dion Copoulos walked and scored.

Carson reliever Tyler Valley gave up two runs and three hits in the seventh before striking out Keegan Sullivan on a nifty curveball to end the game.