Shannon Litz/Nevada Appeal
For the second time in the tournament, Washoe got the best of Carson City’s 11-12 all-star team.
Washoe scored three times in the fifth inning, and then had to hold off a late rally by Carson in the sixth inning, to grab a 5-3 win in a consolation game in the District 1 Championships Saturday night at Governors Field.
The loss eliminated Carson from the tournament, Washoe will play again tonight at 7:30 in another consolation game.
Carson didn’t put up much of a fight in a 12-2 loss to Washoe on Tuesday, but the locals made it extremely tough on Saturday.
Carson grabbed its only lead of the game in its first at-bat against Washoe’s Cole Demosthenes.
Landon Truesdale walked and moved to second on a single by Josh Buchan. Kahle Good forced Truesdale at third, Buchan taking second on the play. Colby Zemp followed with a double to right to score Buchan. Good appeared to pull a muscle rounding second and only made it to third. He was thrown out at the plate moments later trying to score when the pitch got away from Washoe catcher Brian Baker. Cole Salaices struck out to end the inning.
That was the extent of Carson’s offense for a while. Demosthenes retired the side in order in the second and third before turning the ball over to Erik Mohr, who retired the only two hitters he faced in the fourth. The two Washoe hurlers scattered seven hits and struck out six.
Washoe took the lead for good in the second, 2-1, thanks to three walks by Buchan and a two-run double by Gunner Gouldsmith, whose blooper to right dropped in front of and then past a charging Ian Pettersen.
Washoe had a chance to expand its lead in the third against Truesdale, who relieved Buchan with two outs in the second. Demosthenes singled and made it to second when Hayden Hudson misplayed the ball in left. Aiden Elliott dropped down a sacrifice bunt, sending Demosthenes to third. Truesdale, however, retired the next two hitters to end the threat.
Washoe broke the game open in the fourth with three runs to up its lead to 5-1.
Tyler Hopper came off the bench and hit a one-out homer. Mohr followed with a triple to right and scored when Jack Weise’s flyball was misplayed in left to make it 4-1. Josh Menante singled and Demosthenes followed with a sacrifice fly to score Weise.
Carson had a great opportunity to get back in the game in the fifth, but couldn’t come up with a clutch hit.
Teigen Key reached on an infield single and advanced to second on Hudson’s single to left. Pettersen forced Key at third for the first out, and Mohr struck out Carter Brown on a high fastball. Truesdale kept the rally alive with a two-out single to load the bases. Buchan grounded to third to end the threat, leaving the bases jammed.
Carson came back strong in the sixth, scoring twice.
With one out, Zemp singled and then scored ahead of a towering homer to left-centerfield by Cole Salaices to make it 5-3. Key followed with a single, but Mohr bounced back and fanned Hudson and retired Pettersen on an infield pop-up.
Carson out-hit Washoe 8-7. Zemp and Key led the way with two hits apiece. Truesdale, Buchan, Hudson and Salaices all had one hit apiece.
