SOFTBALL: Carson sweeps North Valleys

Carson High's offense is hard to figure. One game it can't buy a hit and the next it can't stop hitting.

That formula was evident in Saturday's doubleheader sweep of visiting North Valleys.

In the opening game, Carson was held scoreless for three innings before exploding for four runs en route to a 4-2 win. In the second game, outs were aberrations as the Senators rolled to a 21-5 win to complete the sweep.

Carson is now 3-0 and plays Thursday at McQueen weather permitting.

"It's a good start," Carson coach Scott Vickrey aid following the sweep. "We're coming into a tough part of our schedule the next couple of weeks.

"Our hitting has been up and down. There is no real reason why. We face pitchers that we should crush the ball off of and we don't. We face tough pitchers and we do well. We need to be more consistent. The kids did a good job of feeding off each other's success today."

Especially in the second game.

Seven players had two or more hits for Carson in the second game. Emily Collins went 4-for-4, Jen Purcell went 3-for-4 with three RBI, Dee Morrow went 3-for-3 with three RBI, Christa McGahuey went 3-for-4 with four RBI, Skylar Jones went 2-for-3 with an RBI, Morgan Kleine went 2-for-3 and Lindsey Ashbaugh went 3-for-4 with an RBI.

"I think we were jut getting used to the cold," Dee Morrow said when asked the difference between the first game and second game. "When everybody else is hitting it gives you a boost."

North Valleys took a short-lived 1-0 lead in the first on Amy Pender's run-scoring single off McGahuey.

Carson bounced back with three in the first a Purcell had a run-scoring single, McGahuey added a run-coring double and Morrow had a run-scoring single. The Senators loaded the bases, but Kleine rolled out to first to end the inning.

The Senators made it 7-1 in the second, as Collins singled, moved to second on a bunt single by Ellise McGowan and to third on a foul pop-up. McGahuey's groundball was booted, loading the bases. Morrow and Ashbaugh followed with run-scoring singles and Becca Breuer added a sacrifice fly.

The Panthers trimmed the lead to 7-3 on Tehenia Telliona's two-run homer in the top of the third.

Carson bettered that in the bottom of the inning, scoring three times on run-scoring hits by McGahuey and Morrow plus an error.

Then came the fourth. Carson scored 11 runs, and it could have been more had Vickrey not had his players step off the bases for outs. On one of those decisons, McGahuey actually hit a homer to left that was disallowed. Carson sent 15 players to bat in the inning. Collins and McGahuey had two hits in the inning.

In the opening game, Carson broke a scoreless tie with four runs in the bottom of the fourth.

Purcell led off with a single, moved to second on McGahuey's infield hit and scored on Morrow's double. Ashbaugh followed with a sacrifice fly to score McGahuey, and when Michelle Perry's fly ball in right was dropped, Morrow trotted home. Kleine drove in the fourth run with a single.

Ashbaugh, who started on the mound, was pulled in favor of McGahuey after the fifth inning. She struck out three, walked one and hit a batter.

"They were starting to hit her a little bit, but she threw a good game," Vickrey said.

McGahuey struggled in the last two innings, but escaped without allowing a run.

North Valleys got a runner to third in the sixth, but McGahuey struck out Valerie Quam to end the threat. In the seventh, the Panthers loaded the bases with one out, but a fielder's choice and a line drive to second base ended the game.

Other than he fourth inning, Carson had one other hit and that was a second-inning single by Ashbaugh.