Upper Lake, Middletown softball teams shut out in league openers
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KELSEYVILLE >> Facing her old team for the first time, Lower Lake High School softball co-head coach Julie Jackson, formerly the head coach at Kelseyville, might have enjoyed Leanna Ortega’s game-winning three-run home run even more than Ortega herself Friday afternoon as the Trojans beat the Knights 8-5 in nine innings in the North Central League I opener for both teams.
Lower Lake (1-0 league, 3-3-1 overall) scored a run in the top of the seventh inning to tie the score at 4-4 and force extra innings, and Ortega’s three-run blast, part of a four-run ninth for the Trojans, carried Lower Lake to the win. While Jackson was reveling in the win over the team she led for several season before being dismissed after the 2024 campaign, Ortega, a sophomore catcher, took great delight in delivering a back-breaking home run after the Knights intentionally walked Lower Lake slugger Mariah Bal to face her.
“It does feel pretty good,” Jackson said of beating the Knights and spoiling their league opener on their own field.
The home run capped an up-and-down day for Ortega, who took a cleat to the mouth earlier in the game while playing defense and then was struck by a line drive the very next inning, a shot off the bat of a teammate while she was running the bases.
“She got beat up during the game but was still all smiles,” Jackson said.
“Games like today are why I’m in coaching,” Lower Lake co-head coach Tara Downey said of Lower Lake’s come-from-behind win. “Those girls worked hard and never gave up.”
Kelseyville head coach Brittany Rumfelt, an assistant coach under Jackson during past Kelseyville seasons, said the Knights (0-1, 0-4) continue to improve despite their record.
“It was a hard-fought game going nine innings,” Rumfelt said. “The girls are growing tremendously. Each game we are getting better, unfortunately the outcome doesn’t show that. I am amazed at the growth of them (players) in the short time we have been able to play.”
Both starting pitchers went the distance. Lower Lake’s Bal allowed five hits, one earned run, struck out 16 and walked two. She doubled off the top of the fence in the top of the of the first inning to give Lower Lake a quick 2-0 lead, and the Knights didn’t pitch to her the remainder of the game. A year ago she broke the county’s single-season home run record with eight. She has two so far this season.
“She was pleading with them to pitch to her,” Jackson said of Bal. “She even offered to bat left-handed, and she can do it, too.”
Morgan Rogers worked all nine innings for Kelseyville, striking out three and walking three.
Aliana Barnes went 3-for-5 with two RBIs to lead the Trojans and Jamiya Lee-Ayers went 2-for-4 with a double and a RBI.
Rogers, Aubree Sperber, Mati Mateer, Ashlyn Wurm and Kylee Denham had Kelseyville’s hits.
After Bal’s two-run double in the top of the first gave Lower Lake the lead, Kelseyville came right back with two runs in the bottom half. The Trojans went back in front 3-2 with a run in the fifth, but the Knights scored two in the sixth for a 4-3 lead. Lower Lake then pushed across a run in the seventh to force extra innings.
Both teams resume their league schedules on Tuesday. Lower Lake hosts Fort Bragg (1-0) while Kelseyville travels to Middletown (0-1).
In other NCL I action Tuesday:
Cloverdale 10, Middletown 0 (6 inn.)
At Cloverdale, Cloverdale and Middletown both brought undefeated records into their league opener, but it was the host Eagles who dominated the game, shutting out the Mustangs to improve to 9-0 overall.
Losing pitcher Brooklyn Wood kept things close and had allowed only three runs until she took a line drive off the knee and had to leave the game. Cloverdale broke the game open against her replacement, Taluelah Madrid. The Eagles four times in the fifth and four more times in the sixth, at which point the game was called because of the 10-run rule.
Middletown statistics were not available.
The Mustangs resumed league play Tuesday at home against Kelseyville at 4 p.m.
Fort Bragg 13, Upper Lake 0
At Upper Lake, the Fort Bragg Timberwolves dominated the Upper Lake Cougars in the league opener for both teams. Play was stopped after five innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.
Upper Lake (0-1, 3-2) had a three-game winning streak snapped.
Upper Lake statistics were not reported.
The Cougars host Clear Lake on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
