Senator Camryn Quilling lines up a North Valleys pitch Thurday at CHS.
Carson High softball coach Carlos Mendeguia admitted he worried his team might look past North Valleys and ahead to Saturday’s crucial doubleheader at Damonte Ranch.
He shouldn’t have.
The Senators, playing without shortstop Kailee Luschar, scored eight unearned runs in the first and added seven more runs in the fourth en route to a 15-0 mercy-rule victory over the Panthers Thursday afternoon at Carson High.
Carson improved to 9-5 in Northern 4A play entering Saturday’s showdown at Damonte Ranch. Luschar, who was injured after a collision at home in the second game of last Saturday’s doubleheader split against Bishop Manogue, has been cleared to play Saturday.
The game was delayed by 40 minutes because of lightning that moved through the Minden and Carson City area.
“We have to be ready for Damonte Ranch,” Mendeguia said. “They are a well-coached team. As a team they are hitting .390 which is better than us. They took one from Douglas and one from Reed.
“As a coach, this was a game that scared me. They come in happy-go-lucky. Was worried about the mental approach today.”
Kedre Luschar reached on an error to start the first and got around to third on a stolen base and passed ball. Lauren Lemburg walked and took second on defensive indifference. Jailene Salciedo, who was hitting .529 entering the game, drove in two runs with a single. Salciedo would later score on a wild pitch. Kassidy Cooley reached on an error and scored on a single by Amaya Mendeguia.
Nicole Brown delivered the first of two big hits on the day, driving a ball to right-centerfield to score two runs and make it 6-0. An error, one of four North Valley miscues, and a single by Lemburg completed the barrage in the first.
That outburst was more than enough for Salciedo, who threw a 1-hitter. She struck out five, walked one and hit one. The only hit, an infield hit, came with one out in the fourth.
Salciedo reached on a three-base error to start the bottom of the fourth and scored on a wild pitch. Hits by Cooley and Mendeguia plus a walk to Camryn Quilling loaded the bases, and Brown delivered a three-run double to left-centerfield to make it 11-0. Brown moved to third when Lauren Hawkins ball was misplayed. Both scored on Kedre Luschar’s double that made it 14-0. The game ended on Lemburg’s fielder’s choice.
Mendeguia was pleased with Brown, who missed Saturday’s doubleheader against Manogue.
“She has been hitting the ball well all season (.310 entering the game),” Mendeguia said. “She hit the ball well today and found the gaps.”
Amaya Mendeguia led Carson, going 3-for-3. Kedre Luschar, Cooley and Brown added two hits apiece.
BASEBALL
Carson loses 8th straight
RENO — Damonte Ranch scored three runs, two unearned, in the second inning and made those stand up for a 3-2 win over the Senators.
The loss was Carson’s eighth straight. The Senators are 6-12 in league with four league games left. Carson hosts Wooster on Saturday for an 11 a.m. doubleheader.
Joe Nelson pitched well in defeat, scattering seven hits and allowing one earned run. He struck out one and walked one.
Carson took a 1-0 lead in the second when Joe Tonino singled and Kahle Good walked. The runners moved up on a balk by DR starter Rhys Finnigan and Tonino scored on an infield out by Landon Truesdale.
Damonte used a one-out error by Josh Buchan, an RBI single by Hunter Dunithan and an RBI double by Zach Rigdon to wipe out Carson’s 1-0 lead.
Teigen Key had a run-scoring single in the sixth to close the gap to 3-2.
Carson struggled again at the plate, managing just four hits off Finnigan, who worked the first four, and Everett Williams, who went the last three. The DR duo combined for seven strikeouts.
Wooster at Douglas suspended
Wooster was leading 2-1 when play was suspended in the home half of the third inning on Thursday after a downpour of rain and hail at Tiger Field.
The Northern 4A game will pick back up Friday at 3:45 p.m. with Douglas batting and no outs.
Wooster scored twice in the second inning to take a 2-0 lead. The Tigers scored in the third when Andrew Rangel doubled into the left-center field gap and scored on Chris Thacker’s base hit up the middle.
Dylan Harloff and Carlos Barela delivered RBI singles for the Colts in the second inning.
— Dave Price of the Record-Courier contributed to this report
