Mustangs struggle in all areas against Healdsburg in 2026 debut
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MIDDLETOWN >> The Middletown High School varsity baseball team struggled with all elements of its game Friday night while making its season debut against the Healdsburg Greyhounds under the lights at Recreation Park.
Middletown fell 9-3 to the Greyhounds after committing six errors, logging just one hit at the plate, and walking eight Healdsburg batters.
Healdsburg scored twice in each of the first two innings while building a 4-1 lead. The Greyhounds added two more runs in the fourth and three in the sixth to go up 9-1. Middletown loaded the bases with three straight walks to open the top of the seventh before scoring twice on a hit batsman and a RBI fielder’s choice.
Middletown’s errors in the field paved the way for four of Healdsburg’s first six runs, including a misplayed flyball in the outfield and a dropped popup in the infield.
First-year head coach Marc Humphrey is trying to rebuild a Middletown program that has fallen on hard times in recent seasons – 5-16-1 a year ago, 4-15 in 2024 and 4-16-1 in 2023.
Middletown first baseman Cody de Jong (1-for-2) had the team’s only hit against three Healdsburg pitchers, including left-hander Alex Mauro-Manos, who worked the first five innings for the victory, striking out nine and walking one.
Cody Perez, the first of two Middletown pitchers, took the loss after a three-inning start. He allowed two hits, four runs (one earned) with four strikeouts and five walks.
Perez, Hunter Karp and John Finney had Middletown’s RBIs.
The Mustangs return to action Tuesday in Willits at 3:30 p.m.