Carbon County’s Battle Baseball started the Pacific Southwest Regional Tournament off with a bang, defeating Central California 11-0 in five innings at Carbon High School on Monday afternoon.

Rigdon Rhoten recorded the win on the mound, pitching a complete, five-inning gem, with only 67 pitches. The performance was highlighted by allowing only two hits and one walk.

“I always rely on my defense because they are so good,” said Rhoten following the win. “After we scored 10 runs, it was such a relief. It took a load off my mind, and I was relaxed.”

Jaxton Smith sparked the offense as he finished 2-3 with two triples and two RBI. Nate Tatton and Jacen Cowley also logged two RBI to help pace Battle in the victory.

After two scoreless frames, Battle finally broke through in the bottom of the third. Rhoten laced a triple, putting the go-ahead run in scoring position. Moments later, a balk by Central California gave Battle a 1-0 lead.

The floodgates opened in the bottom of the fourth as a 10-run inning put the game out of reach. The final three outs were a mere formality as Battle protected home field in the opening round win.

“We found some energy towards the end, and everybody just seemed more focused,” said catcher Jacen Urbanik. “Our coaches were telling us to lockdown and dig deep to get this win, and that’s what we did.”

With Monday’s win now in the books, Battle will shift focus to the second round of the tournament on Tuesday against Hawaii (COBA) at 8:30 am. A win would place Battle into the 11:30 am slot on Wednesday, while a loss would put them in an elimination tilt Wednesday at 8:30 am.

The Battle 13U baseball team is coached by Darek Martinez, Rob Smith, Justin Powell, and Timmy Urbanik. The team roster consists of Callen Donaldson, Jack Madrid, Austin Leonard, Jacen Urbanik, Rigden Rhoten, Jaxton Smith, Alex Martinez, Mason Powell, Jace Bosone, Jacen Cowley, and Nate Tatton.