Cardinals to play for title

The Carson Cardinals baseball team have clinched at least third place and are still alive in the West Coast Classic.

The Cardinals won two games on Saturday, beating the Seattle Bombers 4-3 and the Nevada Red Dogs 4-2. The Cardinals will play at 10 a.m. today at North Valleys High, with the opponent still to be determined.

Danny Rotter gained some measure of revenge against the Bombers. Rotter was the losing pitcher in a 12-4 loss to the Bombers earlier in the tournament.

But Rotter pitched five shutout innings on Saturday against the Bombers before tiring in the sixth inning when the Bombers tied the score 3-3. The Cardinals won it in the bottom of the seventh inning on Ryan Henry's sacrifice fly after Andrew James, Carl Winter and Murph Gardner walked to load the bases. Mike Handley was the winning pitcher, recording the last five outs, striking out three.

The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the second on Jeff Hurzel's RBI single after Cameron Leck and Winter singled and Jason Alcasas was hit by a pitch. The Cardinals made it 3-0 in the third on Winter's two-run single after Leck doubled. Leck and Winter each had two hits and Aaron Henry tripled.

Josh Camper pitched a complete game for the win against the Red Dogs. The Cardinals took a 1-0 lead in the first when Tony Teixeira singled, Leck doubled and Winter followed with an RBI single.

Carson High graduate Neil Holmes hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first for the Red Dogs. But with the bases loaded, right fielder Ryan Henry saved possibly three runs with a diving catch in right center field to end the inning and Camper settled down after that.

In the third, Leck tripled and scored on an error. In the fifth, James singled, Leck hit a sacrifice fly and Winter followed with an RBI single. Leck and Winter each had two hits.

Holmes had two hits and Fernley's Tony Selden singled for the Red Dogs.