PREPS: Carson stretches win streak to 6

RENO - For five innings, Carson High's five-game win streak was in serious jeopardy.

The Senators were making Wooster's Dalton Malone look like the second coming of Cy Young, managing just a bloop double by Rory Petersen in the third inning, en route to a 4-0 deficit.

The Senators exploded for five runs in the sixth an added an insurance run in the seventh en route to a 6-4 win over the Colts Thursday afternoon and a sweep of the two-game series.

Carson improved to 6-1 overall and 2-0 in Northern 4A play. The Senators host Spanish Springs at 11 a.m. Saturday in another 4A game.

"It was a little bit of a wake-up call," said first baseman Adam Whitt, who ended up driving in what proved to be the game-winning run in the sixth. "I was a little concerned when we fell behind."

And, the reason for that was Malone. Besides allowing only one hit through five innings, he also picked off three Carson baserunners, including two in the first inning.

"That kid, he threw a great game," Carson coach Cody Farnworth said. "He kept us off balance with that curve, and then he would jam us inside. Our approach wasn't good. We didn't make good adjustments which we talked about afterward. This team competed hard to the end."

The Senators almost waited too long in this one.

Petersen walked to lead off the sixth, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Colby Blueberg's triple to the gap in left-centerfield. Austin Pacheco followed with a single to right-centerfield, scoring Blueberg to make it 4-2. Chance Quilling walked and Nick Domitrovich was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

Malone exited in favor of Garrett Powers, who uncorked two wild pitches with runners on third to make it 4-4. Domitrovich moved to third on the second errant throw and scored on Whitt's single which snapped the 4-all tie.

"I just wanted to hit the ball hard in the gap," Whitt said. "Once I got two strikes, he threw me four straight curveballs. I changed my approach halfway through when they brought the infield in. Then I was just trying to get it past the infielders."

Casey Wolfe, who picked up the win in relief of starter Charlie Banfield, retired the side in the sixth, setting the stage for a heart-wrenching seventh.

With one out, Brock Pradere walked and stole second. He came around to score on a wild pitch and passed ball to make it 6-4.

With one out in the seventh, Wooster's Matt Bowers reached on an error by Blueberg. Bowers got around to third on a wild pitched and passed ball. Powers walked and stole second. Wolfe got the dangerous Filberto Castro to pop to second base and then Ramon Mendoza ended the game with a hard groundball to Blueberg at short.

"Wolfe came in and threw strikes," Farnworth said.

Banfield hit three batters, two of which scored, and he also walked two hitters. He allowed just five hits in 4.2 innings.

"He competed out there," Farnworth said. "He gave us a quality start. The way he threw, he could have won the game."

Banfield sailed through the first two innings, but was touched for three runs in the third thanks to two hit batsmen, a walk, a run-scoring single by Bowers and an error by Pacheco.

Wooster added a run in the fifth when Pablo Contreras was hit by a pitch and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Castro.

The score stayed that way until Carson's bats woke up in the sixth.