Abel Carter
RENO — Carson High pulled off a much-needed sweep on Saturday against Wooster, moving ahead of both the Colts and the Douglas Tigers in the process.
The Senators won the opener, 6-4, thanks to solid pitching from Bryce Moyle and Kyle Glanzmann, and a three-RBI effort by Jace Keema.
In the nightcap, Abel Carter drove in five runs with two run-scoring singles and a bases loaded double, and Glanzmann turned in another solid relief effort to key a 9-8 win.
The sweep put Carson into a seventh-place tie with Reed at 10-10 in league play. Reed and CHS split their two games this year. Wooster fell to 9-10 with a make-up game looming on Monday against Galena. Douglas lost twice to Galena and fell to 8-12, meaning the Tigers must sweep Carson this week and get some help to make the playoffs.
The two wins may have been the biggest in coach Bryan Manoukian’s tenure.
“With the circumstances the way they are and wins tough to come by this year, the wins were very big,” Manoukian said. “I knew Wooster would give us all we wanted and they did. They are always really scrappy.”
“Very big wins,” Carter said. “Tough to play two games in a row. We battled (all day) and played hard.”
Carson bolted to a 6-0 lead in the opener, scoring three in each of the first two innings.
In the first, a bases-loaded walk to Keema and two infield outs produced the runs.
Colby Zemp walked and Luke Myers singled to start the second. Lopez forced Zemp at third, and Moyle followed with a run-scoring double. Lopez was thrown out at the plate. Carter singled to put runners at first and third, and Keema connected for a two-run double.
The CHS offense wasn’t heard from again, and Manoukian was annoyed with that. Simply put, the Senators had a chance to step on the Colts’ throat and failed.
Wooster caught fire in the sixth, slicing the deficit to 6-3 with two runs. Moyle left with the score 6-1 and the bases loaded. Reliever Cole McDannald walked in a run and hit a batter to make it 6-3 before getting the last two outs.
“I threw too many balls,” Moyle said. “My arm was a little tight.”
McDannald got the first two outs in the seventh, but then gave up a single, plunked a batter and walked a batter before departing in favor of Glanzmann, who gave up a run-scoring single before getting the final out.
Carson got off to a fast start in Game 2, scoring eight in its first four at-bats en route to an 8-5 lead.
Jared Barnard hit a sacrifice fly in the second and Jesse Lopez added a run-scoring double and Carter a run-scoring single. Wooster responded with three runs off Barnard to grab a 5-3 lead after three.
The Senators struck for five in the top of the fourth to take an 8-5 lead. Carter’s bases-clearing double was the key hit.
“It was an outside pitch,” Carter said. “I’m just starting to feel comfortable. I haven’t changed anything recently.”
Carter added what proved to be the game-winning run in the fifth with a two-out single to right.
Wooster cut it to 9-7 in the sixth, as Barnard departed with two outs and a 9-6 lead. Glanzmann came on and gave up a single to Jon Pilch.
Wooster cut it to 9-8 on a single by Donovan Ratfield before Glanzmann retired Pilch to end the game.
“Kyle did a really good job today; two saves and he got the game ball,” Manoukian said. “It was a great day for him.”
NOTES: Besides Carter, Lopez and Landon Truesdale had multiple hits ... Carson visits Douglas on Wednesday at 3:45 and hosts the Tigers Thursday at 7.
