SOUTH LAKE TAHOE — Dayton opened the 3A regionals with a 5-3 loss to Elko on Thursday night.
The loss sends Dayton into the loser’s bracket to face Fernley at 10:30 a.m. today, and if the Dust Devils win they would come back at 6 p.m. and face either Fallon or South Tahoe.
“We beat ourselves tonight,” Dayton coach Mike Burrows said.
“We failed to execute with runners in scoring position, and we ran ourselves out of some innings. We made some mistakes defensively, and that was the difference.
“We have a long road ahead of us now, but we still have the pitching and offense to do it.”
Elko took a 2-0 lead in the first and added another run in the second off Isaac Von Schoff.
Dayton left two runners on in the first, but did score two in the third when Jesse Schmidt and Dylan Baker singled with one out.
Justin Schmidt doubled home his brother, and Baker also scored on an error on the play.
Elko added two more in the fourth to make it 5-2, but Dayton fought back with one in the sixth on a single by Trevor Burrows.
Dayton got its lead-off hitter aboard in the seventh, but Justin Schmidt hit into a game-ending double play.
Trevor Burrows, Aiden Howe and Jesse Schmidt led the Dust Devils with two hits each.
SOFTBALL
Carson eliminated
RENO - Carson High’s softball team fought hard but its season came to an end Thursday with two losses at the Northern 4A regionals at Bishop Manogue.
Carson opened with a 7-2 loss to perennial powerhouse Reed, and after a game break, came back and dropped a 5-4 decision to McQueen.
“We played hard, and I’m proud of the girls,” Carson coach Shane Quilling. “The last game could have gone either way.
“We were excited to get here, and our goal is to win a game (or more) here next season.”
Quilling’s team won eight league games, and the Senatrors return everybody next year, including pitchers Lauren Lemburg and Jailene Salceido.
The second loss was especially frustrating. Carson fell behind 3-0 in the second, but battled back to take a 4-3 lead with two runs in the fourth and two more in the top of the fifth.
In the fourth, Bella Kordonowy walked and scored on a double to left by Jailene Salceido, who eventually scored on an error to make it 3-2. In the fifth, Alex Salceido walked, moved to third on a single by Nicole Brown and scored on Kordonowy’s sacrifice fly. Camryn Quilling doubled home Brown for a 4-3 lead.
McQueen tied it in the fifth on two singles and an error. Both times went out quietly setting up an exciting seventh.
Kailee Luschar tripled to right-centerfield with two outs, and three pitches later was picked off third.
“There was really nowhere for her to go,” Quilling said. “She is fast enough to score from third on a wild pitch or passed ball.”
Jailene Salceido failed to get an out in the bottom of the seventh, as Kierra Escalante, Jesse Blanton, Ana Zimmerman and Erica McBride hit consecutive singles to end Carson’s season.
In the opener against Reed, Jessica Sellers and Allie Hughes hit back-to-back doubles off CHS starter Lauren Lemburg. After Julia Jensen popped out, Rheanna Smith singled home Hughes to make it 2-0. Lemburg retired the next two hitters.
Carson scored an unearned run in the top of the second when Jailene Salceido reached on an error, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kassidy Cooley and scored on a single to right by Faith Bigelow.
Reed tacked on two more in the bottom of the inning, but lost arguably its best position player in the process. Jilian Rysar and Ali Hernandez singled to put runners on first and second. After Gabby Kahl popped up, Sellers tripled to right-centerfield. The Reed star tried to stretch it into an inside-the-park homer, but was thrown out at home and ejected when she appeared to throw a forearm into Carson catcher Camiell Simpson, knocking her to the ground. Sellers is out of today’s first game.
Reed added three more in the fifth to make it 7-1 before Luschar homered in the sixth off Jensen, who allowed just three hits and fanned 12.
Douglas eliminated
RENO — The Douglas Tigers broke out fast in two region tournament games on Thursday. It wasn’t good enough on either occasion, as Bishop Manogue rallied for a 9-6 opening round win over Douglas, and then Spanish Springs prevailed, 11-6, in an elimination game later in the day.
Douglas ended its season with a 12-23 overall record. The Tigers held leads of 3-0 against Manogue and 5-0 against Spanish Springs.
The Tigers hit four home runs against Manogue: Jasmine McNinch with a two-run shot in the second inning to provide a 3-0 lead, back-to-back homers by Kylie Swan and Bailey Walter in the fourth inning; and Casey Peck’s solo homer in the fifth to tie the score at 6-all.
Manogue broke a 6-all tie in the fifth inning on Michaela King’s RBI double.
In the elimination game, Douglas scored five times in the second inning and went up 5-0 on Alyssa Smokey’s three-run homer.
Rylee Retzer hit a solo home run in the second inning to cut the Douglas lead to 5-1. Spanish Springs took the lead with six runs in the fourth inning.
Peck hit 3-for-4 for the Tigers, who left 11 base runners stranded.
Fernley tops Dayton girls
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE — The Dust Devils were dropped to the loser’s bracket by Fernley, 13-1, in five innings Thursday at South Tahoe High School.
Dayton’s only run came in the fourth inning when Aleea Howe doubled, moved to third on a single by Tamia Powell and scored on a sacrifice fly by Julie Rogacs.
Those were the only two hits Dayton recorded.
Dayton plays an elimination game today at 11:30 against South Tahoe.
