| Tanner Herrick makes the tag before throwing to first to double up Delta. |
With Emery and Delta breathing down their backs, the Dinos had a chance to buy themselves a little distance with a pair of victories over the Delta Rabbits on Friday afternoon.
Despite a few struggles in game one, Carbon came away with a sweep in the duel and downed Delta 14-9 and 7-1 to position themselves in solid second place in region eight.
Game one began with some promising early innings as the Dinos scored in each of the first three innings while starting pitcher Kyle Asay held the Rabbits scoreless.
In the fourth, the team seemed to lose their way for a while and the defense just didn’t get the job done and Delta put three on the board.
It could have been worse, but as a Delta runner came across to score the fourth run, he didn’t make contact with the plate. Coach Moynier had Asay make the toss to the plate and appealed the call and the runner was ruled out and Carbon escaped the inning.
The Dinos tacked on one in the fourth, but again Delta pushed back in the game and tied it up in the fifth with two of their own.
The turning point of the game was the answer that Carbon gave in the bottom of the fifth. The bats talked loud and eight runs put the game away.
After a sack fly by Jordan Moynier to move the runners into scoring position, Ron Herrera came up with two outs and belted one over the fence for a three run dinger.
Delta gave the Dinos a scare in the sixth by adding four more but that was the end of their scoring.
Carbon added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth and Delta went down without a peep in the seventh. Carbon finished the game with 18 hits. Doubled were pounded out by Brady Wilde, JJ Blue, Brett Johnson and Tyler Turcasso.
Pitchers ruled game two. Jordan Moynier took the mound for Carbon and both pitchers went five innings of scoreless ball. It was the Dinos who decided to take control as they broke out with a big sixth and had seven runs before it was over.
“The key to the inning was the sac hits several players were asked to lay down,” Coach Moynier explained. Matt Salas, Turcasso and Dustin Pollastro all put the team before their own stats.
Salas and Pollastro were safe and the inning stayed alive for Asay to belt one out. Jordan Moynier gave up one run in the seventh as he pitched a complete game for the Dinos.
He had a no-hitter going into the fourth and a shutout into the seventh.
Three tough games face the team next week. Juan Diego will try and remain ahead of the Dinos as they meet up here on Tuesday.
Then Friday will have Emery arriving, trying to make up ground in a double header that begins at 2:30. Games will be played on the Carbon High Baseball field.