One of the big experiments for Carson High's summer baseball team has been using wood bats in preparation for the less lively bats that will be used next spring.
There have been some good games and not-so-good games. On Wednesday night, the Blue Jays played one of each.
In the opener, the Blue Jays managed only two hits in a 6-0 loss to Damonte Ranch. In the nightcap, Carson collected 13 hits but dropped an 8-6 decision after fighting back from a 6-1 deficit.
"I don't think we played with as much intensity as we did (Tuesday vs. Douglas)," assistant coach Bryan Manoukian said. "Damonte hit the ball well, but we had five errors in that second game, and when you play a team that puts the ball in play like Damonte, you can't give them extra outs.
"I think we're starting to get used to the wood bats. Andrew (Hudacho) had a couple of hits and Casey (Wolfe) is starting to swing it. We made a lot better contact the second game. We're playing everybody; making sure everybody gets an opportunity. It might cost us a couple of summer games with hopes that it will pay off in the spring."
Manoukian said a mouthful. The summer isn't about winning or losing. It's about working on what you need to get better at; working on things you couldn't do individually or as a team during the spring and developing your younger talent.
"Everybody wants to win out here," said senior infielder Brock Pradere. "It's more about getting better every game.
"It will definitely be good in the long run (hitting with wood). The sweet spot on a wood bat is a lot smaller. I think we're all getting used to it as a team. With a wood bat you have to hit it just right to hit it hard."
In the nightcap, Pradere went 3-for-3 and scored a run. He had a hand in rallies in the fourth and fifth when the Blue Jays fought back to tie the game at 6.
Hudacho singled with one out and moved to third on a double by Pradere which bounced off the centerfielder's glove. Nick Domitrovich singled home a run and Rory Petersen's sacrifice fly made it 6-3. Gehrig Tucker, who went 2-for-3, walked and then he and Domitrovich pulled off a double steal to make it 6-4 after four.
In the fifth, a passed ball and sacrifice fly by Charlie Banfield tied the game at 6 after five.
In the sixth, Nate Nolan slugged a two-run homer off reliever Tyler Valley to snap the 6-all tie and give Damonte an 8-6 led.
Damonte reliever Kyle Bailey blanked Carson over the last two innings to get the win. Hudacho, Domitrovich and Wolfe all had two hits. Matt Olson led Damonte with three hits, while Nolan had a double and the aforementioned homer.
In the opener, Damonte's Michael Brown yielded just a hit to TJ Thomsen in the first and a hit to Wolfe in the fourth. Brown fanned two and walked three in picking up the complete-game win.
The only time Carson came close to scoring was the third when it put runners on first and second with no outs. Chance Quilling grounded into a force play.
Damonte scored once in the first on Justin Bridgman's one-out single off Carson starter Jace Zampirro. Damonte added four in the fifth off Zampirro and relief pitcher Tucker, who walked two, hit on and allowed a run. Tucker also was touched for a run in the seventh before Pradere closed out the contest.
Zampirro worked 4.1 innings, allowing four runs on five hits.
"Jace didn't have his good stuff, although h gave us 4 1/3 innings," Manoukian said. "He did a good job battling with what he had."
