BASEBALL: Carson loses, hosts key game tonight

RENO - Carson High's quest for homefield advantage took a severe hit on Tuesday when Galena hung an easy 6-1 decision on the Senators in a key Northern 4A baseball game.

Carson dropped to 10-7 in Northern 4A play, while Galena improved to 9-8. The teams conclude their two-game series tonight at 7 p.m.

This very well could be the most important game of the season for the Senators. In case of a two-team tie, the first tie-breaker would be head-to-head.

"We need to rebound tonight," Carson coach Cody Farnworth said. "Beau (Colier threw a great game against us. We have to swing it better tonight. We have to do a better job of putting the ball in play. With two strkes, either we strike out swinging or get the bat on the ball. We can't let third strikes go by. When you put the ball in play, good things can happen."

Carson only two runners on twice, once in the third and again in the fifth. Galena turned double plays in the sixth and seventh to thwart Carson uprisings.

Meanwhile, Carson's defense left a little to be desired, making four errors. Two came in the sixth when Galena tacked on three insurance runs off starter and loser Drew Moreland.

Galena started fast wth two in the first, and it could have been much worse.

Jorge Medina, Michael Jones, Ryan Ford and Zack Parkinson singled to open the game. Ford's single scored Medina. With runners on first and third, Moreland did the first-and-third move, only this time he whirled around and caught Jones napping at third for the first out.

Cole Fenner followed with a potential double-play ball to second, and Nick Domitrovich threw wildly toward second, allowing Ford to score. Moreland and the Senators escaped without further damage.

Moreland sailed through the second, his only 1-2-3 inning of the contest, and his teammates rewarded him in thh third when TJ Thomsen singled to right, stole second, moved to third on Brock Pradere's second hit of the game and scored on a passed ball to make it 2-1. Luke Maher popped to short with two runners on to end the inning.

In the top of the fifth, Rory Petersen and Pradere, who went 3-for-3, hit two-out singles. Petersen was stranded at second when Cullen struck out Domitrovich looking.

After escaping a first-and-second, no-out situation in the fourth, Moreland gave up a run in the fifth when Fenner hit a two-out single to score Jones, who had also singled.

Galena strung together three straight hits in the seventh - a double by Alex Barajas, a bunt single by Andrew Hunter and a two-run pinch double by Tim Lichty.

Hunter's bunt was a thing of beauty. Charlie Banfield picked up the ball right near the line, but his throw was too late.

"It (the ball) was going to stay fair," Farnworth said. "I'm not going to fault a player for hustling like Charlie did. It was a good bunt."

Cole Dufresne came in after Lichty's double, and allowed a run-scoring single to Medina to make it 6-1. He retired the next three hitters to end the game.