Carson baseball coach Bryan Manoukian gave shortstop Connor Pradere, outfielder Bryce Moyle, catcher Kyle Krebs and outfielder Cody Azevedo the day off.
And, the Senators’ offense didn’t skip a beat.
Carson pounded out 23 hits en route to an easy 21-2 win over Hug Thursday afternoon. The win gave CHS (2-0, 6-1) a series sweep over the outmanned Hawks.
“We smacked the ball today,” Manoukian said after the second straight mercy-rule win over Hug. “Everybody did well. The reserves stepped up.”
Nico Salm went 4-for-4 with four RBI and three runs. Brandon Gagnon went 3-for-4 and drove in three while Luke Myers went 3-for-4 with two RBI. Cole McDannald went 2-for-3 and drove in two runs. Abel Carter, a part-time starter, went 4-for-5 with four RBI.
The Senators scored all the runs they needed in the first when they sent 11 batters to the plate and came away with six runs.
Gagnon singled and advanced to second on a single by Jace Keema. Both runners scored on Terek Been’s two-run double. Carter singled and Been took third. After Carter stole second, Trevor Edis was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Salm singled home a run, and a second run came across when the Hug outfielder misplayed the ball. Myers followed with a run-scoring single and winning pitcher Jared Barnard’s fielder’s choice scored the final run of the frame.
Carson added four in the second, seven in the third and four in the fourth.
Barnard threw three shutout innings, allowing just one hit. Edis threw two innings, allowing both Hug runs.
Carson returns to action Saturday at 11 a.m. against Reed. Moyle is expected to start and throw around 80 pitches.
Damonte Ranch 14, Douglas 4
MINDEN — Zach Lee hit a two-run single in the third inning to put Damonte Ranch on top and Zack Jensen blasted a three-run double in the fourth to help the Mustangs pull away to a victory in the Northern Division I conference contest at Tiger Field.
Douglas (0-2 league, 1-6 overall) took a 4-0 lead in the first inning before Damonte Ranch (2-0, 4-3) took charge with five runs in the third and seven more runs in the fourth. The Mustangs scored twice in the fifth in a game stopped due to the 10-run rule.
A hit batsman and two walks loaded the bases in the fourth for Jensen, who hit a drive into the right-center field gap to give the Mustangs an 8-4 lead.
Haden Keller and Tomas Leitenbauer singled to lead off the Tigers’ first inning rally. Spencer Trivitt drove in one run with an infield hit, Haydn Brown tripled two runs home and Logan Fencl followed with a sacrifice fly to stake Douglas to a 4-0 lead.
The Tigers only managed one more hit and three baserunners overall over the final four innings against Mustangs starter Tyler Oscarson.
Isaiah Schat started on the mound for Douglas and went three innings to absorb the loss.