The Carbon Dinos baseball team kicked off the season at the Pizza Hut Classic Tournament in St. George over the weekend and came home with a 1-3 record. The Dinos have participated in the tournament every year since 2003.
Carbon played a total of 18 players during the tournament, with several underclassmen seeing valuable time on the field.
“I’m using these pre-season games for exactly what they are and that is practice and preparation for region and state games,” new head coach Jeff Cisneros said.
In game one Friday against Bear River, Anthony Maclean got the start on the mound and went four strong innings and gave up just one run. He also struck out three. The Dinos scored their only runs of the game in the second inning on a two-run home run off the bat of Dillon Lowe, which scored Kaiden Lewis. Lewis came on in relief of Maclean in the fifth and gave up four runs with just one of those earned. Maclean and Lewis each had two hits in the game. The Dinos went on to lose by a score of 5-2.
Next up was Tooele, a team that Carbon has beaten every year at the Classic since 2009. The streak continued as the Dinos squeaked by the Buffaloes, 6-5. Cole Fossat, after going hitless in the game against Bear River, went 2-3 with a double and triple, knocking in two runs. Lowe continued his hot start, contributing another two hits in three at bats. Dallyn Mower also had two hits in the game. Mitch Olsen got the win on the mound after coming on in relief of starter Jayden Flemmett in the fourth inning. Olsen gave up one run on four hits and struck our four. Jarod Lessar came on in the seventh and struck out the side for the save.
In the first game on Saturday, Carbon squared off against Cedar in a 12-1 defeat. Cisneros used six pitchers in the game and, as a team, the Dinos managed just four hits. Lowe nailed a double and a single in the game and scored the only run. The game was scoreless until the Redmen tallied three runs in the third. They would add two more in the fourth and four in the fifth to run away with the game. Fossat got the start on the hill and gave up just one earned run on three hits in just under three innings of work. Cody Lowe, Alex Ruiz, Johny Tallerico, Chase Morgan and Lessar all made pitching appearances in the game.
In Carbon’s final game of the weekend, Stansbury scored three runs in the fifth to invoke the 10-run rule, 16-6, after five innings. The Dinos scored three runs in the first but gave up six runs to the Stallions in the same frame. Fossat had two hits in the game, adding another triple to his season total. Dillon Lowe made it four straight games in which he has registered a hit, singling home two of Carbon’s six runs. Tallerico went two innings on the mound, giving up six runs on five hits and three walks. Taylon Abeyta fared just as well, giving up five earned runs on five hits in relief. Maclean appeared in just one inning and gave up two earned runs.
Carbon (1-3, 0-0 Region 12) will travel back to St. George this weekend for the Desert Hills Invitational. The Dinos will take on West Jordan on Friday at 9 a.m. and then Desert Hills at 1 p.m. The two games on Saturday will be announced after games are completed on Friday.