Fast out of the gate
Branson Carson’s great start to the season got even better Monday afternoon.
The senior pitcher allowed no runs on just two hits over 5 2/3 innings while striking out 11 to spark Moniteau to an 8-1 baseball victory over Karns City at Pullman Park.
Carson (2-0) has struck out 35 and surrendered just one run in three outings this spring.
“Working on my curveball has been good for me, but I’ve also developed a change-up since last year,” he said.
But the foundation for Carson’s success is his fastball, which has been clocked at 91 m.p.h.
“He had command of it today and that allowed him to be very tough,” said KC coach Josh Smith. “When you can throw it where you want, up in the zone, down in the zone and to both sides of the plate, it makes the off-speed stuff you have very nasty.”
Carson allowed one baserunner over the first three innings — a walk to Jacob Callihan in the second. He struck out the side in the third and gave up the first of KC’s two hits on an infield single to Mallick Metcalfe in the fourth.
A steady rain fell during most of the game.
“I was so locked in, it didn’t affect me,” said Carson. “Karns City knows me well and the key was to be aggressive and attack early.”
Metcalfe pitched the first 4 1/3 innings for KC and found the going to be much rougher than his counterpart.
Brock Matthews singled on the first pitch of the game and later scored on Dawson Wallace’s base hit. Metcalfe limited the damage, however, stranding runners at second and third.
The Warriors (5-1) plated an unearned run in the second before putting the Gremlins on the ropes with three runs in the fifth.
Metcalfe was pulled in favor of Tyler Hutchison with one out in the frame. He had issued a pair of walks to Matthews and Keagan Book to begin the inning. They both scored on Wallace’s base hit and two more runs would score on Gremlins miscues before the inning was over.
Metcalfe was charged with five runs (two earned) on seven hits.
“This game could’ve gotten out of hand early, but Mallick battled,” said Smith. “He didn’t have his best stuff today and their guy did. That’s baseball.”
Following a walk and a single allowed to Braden Grossman with two outs in the sixth, Carson moved to right field and Matthews took over on the mound.
Matthews, who finished the game with three hits, ripped a three-run double in the top of the seventh before allowing KC’s only run of the game when Callihan scored on Hobie Bartoe’s fielder’s choice in the bottom of the frame.
The Gremlins (2-2) have tallied three hits in their last two games.
“We don’t use a pitching machine, our guys face live pitching every day in practice,” said Smith. “Hopefully, it (offense) shows up soon.”
Moniteau 110 030 3 — 8 9 1
Karns City 000 000 1 — 1 2 5
W: Branson Carson 5.2 IP (11K, 3BB). L: Mallick Metcalfe 4.1 IP (1K, 2BB).
Moniteau (2-1): Brock Matthews 2-1B 2B 2R 3RBI, Dawson Wallace 2-1B R 2RBI, Caden Roxberry 2-1B R
Karns City (2-2): Mallick Metcalfe 1B, Braden Grossman 1B, Jacob Callihan R
