Carson girls knocked out of playoffs

RENO - Carson High softball coach Scott Vickrey couldn't have said it any better.

"It was a bad day for Carson," said the veteran coach after his team was eliminated from the Northern 4A playoffs Thursday at Bishop Manogue High School.

Carson, seeded fifth, was blanked 3-0 in the opener by Damonte Ranch's Kalyn Paque. Then the Senators made five errors leading to seven unearned runs in a 10-3 setback at the hands of No. 8 McQueen.

Carson finishes the season 18-17 overall, including six losses in its last seven games.

"I think we were a little tight," Vickrey said. "I thought we practiced well all week, and then we came out here and started to make errors.

"The first game we couldn't put the bats together. The girls played hard and never quit. They believed even in the last inning (of both games) they were going to come back. They did everything we asked of them."

In the opening loss, the Senators dodged two early bullets before Damonte struck for three runs in fifth inning. It was all the Mustangs would need as Paque threw a two-hitter. Paque walked two and struck out five.

Damonte left the bases loaded in the first and third innings as Christa McGahuey picked up the Senator defense which committed five errors during the game.

But Carson couldn't escape another bullet in the fifth.

Paque started the Mustangs' rally with a single off McGahuey. Kerrigan Travens then doubled to right, scoring Paque. Chanel Bates then singled, Travens stopping at third.

Vickrey made a switch, bringing Lindsey Ashbaugh in. Ashbaugh got two outs while allowing a walk to load the bases. Just when it appeared Ashbaugh and the Senators may dodge another bullet, No. 9 hitter Bayli West singled in two runs.

In the circle, Paque cruised until the Senators tried to rally in the seventh.

With one out, Ellise McGowan laced a double to the gap in right center. She would advance to third after Megan Kleine reached on an error by Paque. Paque then struck out Rebecka Breuer for the second out. She then got Kandis Tuttle to hit a sharp ball to second baseman Meghan Hospodka. Hospodka charged, bobbled it but kicked it straight into the glove of first baseman Jahnel Smith who was standing on first for the final out.

McGowan and Jennifer Purcell had Carson's hits. McGahuey was tagged with the loss giving up five hits, three runs on two walks with three strikeouts.

After dodging a bullet in the first inning against McQueen, the Senators weren't so fortunate in the second.

Winning pitcher Jordan Lane singled and then was safe at second when McGowan dropped McGahuey's force-out throw at second. After a sacrifice moved the runners to second and third, Jessica McFall and Katherine Moore produced run-scoring hits.

The Lancers tacked on another run in the third on a single by Danielle Stewart and two errors by third baseman Erika Watson, as Ashbaugh replaced McGahuey in the circle with no outs and worked out of the jam thanks to a baserunning mistake by the Lancers.

Carson cut the deficit to 3-1 when Morgan Kleine doubled and scored on Purcell's single.

McQueen broke it open with five in the fourth, four of which were unearned. The big blow was a three-run double by Jessica Weaver which made it 8-1.

Ashbaugh cranked a solo homer in the fourth to make it 8-2, and McQueen scored two more in the sixth for a 10-2 lead.

McGowan hit a solo homer in the sixth to make it 10-3.

Purcell had two hits for the Senators.

• Adam Trumble, Appeal news editor, contributed to this report