Carson stars squeeze past Reno American, 10-8

Carson City's 10-11 all-star team is still alive in the District 1 tournament - barely.

Zane Warkentin snapped an 8-all tie with a two-run single in the top of the seventh to lift Carson to a 10-8 win over Reno American Friday night at Governors Field.

The win sends Carson City into a 1:30 p.m. game today in the double-elimination tournament.

Warkentin swung a big bat, going 3-for-5 and driving in four runs. It was his second consecutive three-hit game of the tournament.

Carson had sent the game into extra innings tied at 8 on the strength of a four-run sixth inning.

In the top of the seventh, Colby Zemp and Kahle Good walked to open the inning. Both runners moved up on Josh Buchan's groundball to second base. Warkentin followed with a single to center, scoring Zemp and Good. Ben Nelson grounded out to third and Blake Menzel grounded out to first to end the threat.

Things got a little tight in the bottom of the inning.

Cole Salaices walked Dominique Stallworth to start the inning, and the Carson pitcher compounded things with a throwing error on Aidin Vestbie's ball which put runners on first and second with no outs. After retiring Josh Swain, Mason Winship walked to load the bases. Salaices retired the next two batters to end the game.

Carson started the game slow, stranding four runner in the first two innings, as Reno American scored two in the first and two in the second for a quick 4-0 lead.

Caleb Leek had a run-scoring single in the first against Buchan, and a wild pitch accounted for the second run. Torray Felix and Vestbie had run-scoring hits in the second inning.

Carson finally got on the board in the third thanks to two Reno American errors and a single by Buchan. The locals cut the deficit to 4-3 in the top of the fourth thanks to two errors and a run-scoring single by Warkentin.

Reno American struck for two in the fourth to take a 6-3 lead thanks to singles by Felix, Josh Swain and Winship.

Teigen Key made it 6-4 in the fifth with a towering homer to center.

Reno tacked on two in the bottom of the fifth when Austin Perry and John Barry led off the inning with singles, and both eventually scored thanks to a sacrifice bunt, two walks and an error.

Down to its final three outs, Carson found some more offense and stayed alive in the tournament.

Good singled and Buchan walked. Warkentin followed with a run-scoring single to make it 8-5. With the score 8-6, Key delivered a two-run single to tie the score at 8.

In the bottom of the sixth, Reno American put runners at second and third with one out, but Salaices struck out Marcus Lopez and retired Felix on a groundball to shortstop to end the threat.

That set the stage for Carson's wild finish.