The Carbon Dinos will be forced to work through the one-loss bracket in order to win the 3A State Championship after finishing 1-1 in the opening two rounds of the state tournament Saturday afternoon at home.
Entering as the No. 4 seed, Carbon managed an easy 6-0 victory over South Sevier, before slipping to No. 5 Grantsville 7-5 immediately after.
In the first game of the double-header the Dinos received a gem on the mound from pitcher Kade Dimick, who held South Sevier to just three hits in a complete game shutout.
Picking up where he left off in the regular season, Dimick did a fantastic job of keeping the Rams off balance. Needing just 108 pitches to earn the seven inning win, Dimick struck out nine batters and registered strikes on 65-percent of his pitches.
Dimick helped his own cause offensively as he scored the first run of the game breaking a scoreless tie in the bottom of the second. After knocking a triple in the first at bat of the frame, he scored two batters later as Jordan Vasquez registered an RBI on a ground out to third.
The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the fourth when the Dinos put together a two-out rally to create distance on the scoreboard. Derick Robinson tripled to center field, scoring Brayton Nielsen in the process. Robinson scored on the next at bat following a single by Rylan Hart. That set the stage for Cooper Schade to blast a two-run home run to right field before the end of the frame.
The final two innings were a formality for Carbon as they added one more insurance run in the fifth. The loss dropped South Sevier to the one-loss bracket, where they suffered a 13-7 loss to Manti to end their season.
Carbon returned to the field shortly after to meet No. 5 Grantsville for the second time this season. Unlike the first meeting, the Dinos failed to produce enough run support in a close 7-5 loss that was decided in the seventh inning.
A scoreless ballgame for two innings, both teams encountered success at the plate in the third frame. Grantsville used a fielder’s choice sacrifice from sophomore Jace Sandberg to plate the first run of the game. Moments later Jaxson George singled through the shortstop gap to increase the advantage to 2-0.
Carbon wasted little time answering to the deficit as they captured the lead before heading into the fourth. The three-run frame started as Keaton Rich was hit by a pitch in the first at bat, leading to RBIs from Nielsen, Hart and Jordan Wright.
Grantsville capitalized on a Carbon error in the fourth inning to tie the game. The Dinos returned the favor as Wyatt Falk scored on an error in the fifth to once again give Carbon a one-run lead. A run from the Cowboys in the sixth inning made all things equal entering the seventh.
Back-to-back errors and a walk loaded the bases for Grantsville with no outs in the top half of the seventh. With one out the Cowboys received a timely hit from Caleb Sullivan, who singled to left field. Grantsville would add two more runs, taking a three run advantage as Carbon came to the plate for their final at bats.
The Dinos were rejuvenated as Rich started the inning with a double to center field. Ridge Nielsen reached moments later on an error, bringing the tying run to the plate with no outs.
Despite the early inning success Carbon was only able to plate one run as Hart singled to left field. Grantsville closed the game with a fielder’s choice and strikeout, earning the 7-5 win as Carbon left two runners stranded.
The loss means Carbon will now have to win six consecutive games to accomplish the ultimate goal. The tournament will now shift to Juan Diego High School on Thursday, where the first matchup pits Carbon against American Leadership at 1:30 p.m..
A win for Carbon would put them in another win-or-go-home situation later in the evening against either Emery or North Sanpete. The tournament’s format would place Carbon in two games a day leading up to the state championship on Saturday, if they are able to advance.
Click HERE to view the complete 3A State Championship Bracket.