Carson City Ends Northwood’s Little League Year

Carson City, Nev., ended the Northwood Little League’s bid for a second consecutive Western Regional championship Thursday by holding off a late rally for a 6-5 quarterfinal victory at Al Hougton Stadium.

The loss ended Northwood’s bid to return to the Little League World Series and become the first team from the Western Region to win consecutive championships.

Carson City scored five runs in the top of the first, but Northwood scored two in its half of the inning. Carson City scored in the fourth inning before Northwood narrowed the lead to 6-3 on Tommy Louie’s fifth-inning solo home run.

Kirk Matthews led off the Northwood sixth with a line-drive single to right. Ryan Morgan followed with a home run over the 200-foot marker in center field to make the score, 6-5. But Carson City pitcher Joe Tierney retired the last three hitters.

“That team (Carson City) came out with both guns firing, and we took them much too lightly,” said Northwood Manager Mas Hayashi. “We were lackadaisical and I hold myself fully responsible for not having them ready to play this game.”

Ryan O’Toole, one of three returnees from last year’s World Series finalists, hit Matt Morgan on the game’s first pitch. Matt Griffin followed Morgan by reaching second on first baseman Greg Alix’s error, Morgan taking third.

Paul Nino beat out an infield grounder to score Morgan, Griffin taking third. He scored on George Ward’s sacrifice fly.

O’Toole walked Bruce Castro and gave up a single by Ben Armstrong to load the bases. Nino, who went to third on Armstrong’s single, scored on Ryan Morgan’s passed ball. Castro beat second baseman Erik Sobek’s throw to the plate after Sobek fielded Tierney’s grounder.

Armstrong, scored Carson City’s fifth run of the inning on Josh Coughran’s sacrifice fly.

Northwood lost another chance to score in the second. Jeff Zachan, who led off the inning with a single, advanced to second when catcher Bill Voight’s couldn’t handle Alix’s grounder in front of the plate.

Jason Jones then hit a ground-ball single to center field. Voight tagged Zachan as he was blocking the plate with his leg after taking Tierney’s relay throw.