Kelseyville scores nine times in the top of the seventh to upset Warriors 12-1
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CRESCENT CITY >> In a battle of aces, Kelseyville High School’s Brock Barrick improved to 8-0 on the season after throwing a three-hitter at No. 3-seed Del Norte as the 14th-seeded Knights dominated the Warriors 12-1 in the first round of the North Coast Section Division 3 baseball playoffs Tuesday in Crescent City.
Barrick, who struck out nine, just missed both a complete game and a shutout as Del Norte (16-8-1) didn’t score until the bottom of the seventh, pushing an unearned run across the plate. Kelseyville (19-4) carried a 3-0 lead into the seventh before breaking the game open with a nine-run rally, keyed by a three-run double off the bat of Tyler Bryant.
“Brock threw well, and we had some timely hits,” Kelseyville head coach Billy Shaul said as the No. 14-seeded Knights secured a spot in the quarterfinal round Friday when they embark on a much shorter road trip to face No. 6 Marin Catholic (14-12) in Kentfield at 5 p.m. Marin Catholic edged Analy 7-6 in eight innings on Tuesday.
While Bryant’s three-run double was the big blow during Kelseyville’s nine-run seventh, it was a Max Hommer two-run single in the top of the third that proved to be the game-winning hit, boosting the Knights’ lead to 3-0, that after the Knights got on the board in the top of the first with a run against Del Norte ace Preston Daniels, who entered the game with an 8-1 record.
“Some really nice hits,” Shaul said of Hommer’s and Bryant’s big hits.
Kelseyville’s patience at the plate – the Knights drew eight walks – made Daniels work harder than he wanted to early in the game, and they also were a key component of the Knights’ big seventh inning.
Kyle Watkins, the Knights’ leadoff man, set the table by going 3-for-4 with a double and three runs scored. Likewise, Barrick helped his own cause with a 2-for-3 day that included a triple and three runs scored. The team’s other hits were by Bryant, Hommer and Reme Strong.
After Barrick maxed out his pitch count in the bottom of the seventh (114 pitches), the Knights went to their bullpen, first to Bryant, who walked two, and finally to JD Smart, who recorded the final out.
Kelseyville is advancing to the quarterfinals for a third straight year, althouth it’s the first time in Division 3. The Knights lost to Justin-Siena of Napa in the Division 4 quarterfinals each of the last two years – in Napa last season and at home in 2023.
TEAM NOTES: Barrick has won at least eight games three seasons in a row. He was 9-1 last year and 8-0 in 2023. His lifetime record of 28-4 includes a 3-3 mark during his freshman season … older brother Logan, now an assistant coach with the Knights, went 30-6 in three varsity seasons – 5-4 (2014), 12-2 (2015), 13-0 (2016). His 13 wins is a single-season Lake County record … The Knights dominated the All-League selections that took place on Monday although Clear Lake, Fort Bragg and Middletown also landed players on the first team (the complete baseball and softball teams will be featured after the playoffs are over) … The All-County teams selected by Lake County Sports will be revealed next month … Many of the same Kelseyville players on the field Tuesday were also on the field last November when Del Norte ended Kelseyville’s football season at Crescent City. There was a lot more smiling this time around.
