Carroll baseball team on a roll, preps for Panthers

The Carroll baseball team has been on a roll in recent weeks, and coach Larry Hughes said he is seeing a lot from his team that makes him optimistic about the Dragons’ chances this season.

Carroll took on Colleyville Heritage on Tuesday night after press time and will play the Panthers in the second leg of their season series at 7 p.m. on April 15 at Colleyville Heritage High School.

“They had a down year last year, but they are really playing well this year, and especially to start out in district,” Hughes said. “We started out district playing the top three teams from last season, the playoff teams, and they have started out playing the bottom three.

“It will be interesting to see how we match up, because they haven’t lost any district games. We lost close games against Coppell to start distict, but then swept Richland and swept Trinity, so it ought to be a close series.”

The Dragons defeated Euless Trinity by a score of 1-0 on Friday after beating the Trojans 8-1 the Tuesday before, and Hughes said the game on Friday was about what the score indicates.

“It was pretty much a pitchers’ duel,” Hughes said. “They had their big lefty going, and he pitched a great game. He really kept us off balance with a lot of off-speed pitches. We had just a few opportunities, but couldn’t get the big hit early. We finally put a little something together in the sixth. Kole Ramage had a great game for us. He pitched a shut out and only gave up a few hits.”

Carroll has not given up more than two runs in any district game this season, and Hughes said that it is a great feeling for him to see how well his team has been pitching.

“It keeps us in games,” Hughes said. “We’ve really struggled against left-handed pitching. With our pitchers, in the last six or seven games, have pitched very well, and that really helps when your offense is struggling. It makes a difference. It keeps us in the game and gives us a chance to win.”

This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 3:41 PM with the headline "Carroll baseball team on a roll, preps for Panthers."