By his own admission, Canyon View baseball coach Jason Jacobsen said his players “probably hate when we practice” a double-steal situation with runners at first and third base and less than two outs.

With the game on the line against the Carbon Dinos on April 14, the hard work paid off, even if the play wasn’t an artistic masterpiece.

Tommy English stayed in a rundown long enough to allow the tying run to score, and it ignited a four-run rally in the bottom of the sixth inning as Canyon View beat Carbon, 8-5, to earn a split of the doubleheader and end a two-game losing streak. The Falcons improved to 6-2 in Region 12 and 11-7 overall.

“Whether it’s on offense or defense, you’ve got to be ready for it,” Jacobsen said. “I felt we needed to do something to shake things up.”

After English ended up on second base, he came around to score the go-ahead run on a single from Chase Calvez.

“I was ready for that play,” English said. “Right when I got in the rundown, I did whatever I could to not get tagged. As much as we practiced that, I do my best to not get out.”

CV would add two more runs in the inning, but had to escape a two-on threat from Carbon in the top of the seventh. Zack Millett would get the final out on a fly ball that left both runners stranded as the Falcons secured the win and the split. Hutson Slack drove in two runs in the Game 2 victory.

The Dinos did most of their damage with two outs, scoring four of its five runs in that fashion through three base hits and a bases-loaded walk.

In the opener, Rylan Hart homered twice – including on the game’s first pitch – as Carbon posted a 7-4 victory. Canyon View fell behind 6-1 after Hart hit a two-run homer in the top of the sixth, but responded with three runs in the bottom of the frame to stay within striking distance.

Carbon would add an insurance run in the top of the seventh on a wild pitch.

The doubleheader between the teams was pushed back from its originally scheduled date of April 12 due to two inches of snow that fell in the area. The final game of the series will be played in Price on May 2 as the regular-season finale.