Carson Valley 11-12 team wins opener

Danaus Budden used his bat and arm to help the Carson Valley 11-12 year old team pull away to a 14-4 District 1 Little League Tournament win against South Tahoe on Wednesday afternoon in Carson City.

Budden slugged a two-run homer in the fifth inning and a bases-clearing triple in the sixth as Carson Valley broke open the opening round contest at Governor’s Field. The left-hander also pitched three innings of six-hit ball to earn credit for the win.

Carson Valley held a 6-3 lead going to the top of the fifth before Chase Olsen doubled into the right-center field gap and then Budden homered over the center field fence. In the sixth, Budden lined a bases loaded triple to highlight a six-run rally.

Budden finished 3-for-3 with five RBI, while Kaden McIver went 2-for-4 with three RBI. Nine players contributed to Carson Valley’s 12-hit attack.

South Tahoe was led by Joel Gomez, who hit 3-for-4 with a solo home run in the fifth inning. Nico Wagner went 2-for-3 and Zack Vasser hit a three-run homer in the third inning. Vasser’s home run cut Carson Valley’s lead to 6-3.

Gabe Natividad pitched two innings and Sean Powers pitched a scoreless sixth to close out the win for Carson Valley.