Lower Lake falls 9-2 to Maxwell, Upper Lake drops one to Swett
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LOWER LAKE >> Too many errors in the field proved to be Lower Lake’s undoing in a 9-2 non-league varsity baseball loss to Maxwell on Tuesday afternoon in Lower Lake.
“We have to clean up the errors,” Lower Lake head coach Mike Huffman said as the Trojans (2-1) dropped their first game of the season.
Maxwell (1-0) roughed up Lower Lake starters Jordan Rohrbacker for six runs in one-plus inning of work. He walked three and struck out one before giving way to reliever Brody Shields. Adrian Negrete pitched the final three innings.
The Panthers scored twice in the top of the first, four times in the second and once in the third to go up 7-0. Lower Lake closed to 7-2 with single runs in the fourth and fifth before Maxwell tacked on two insurance runs in the sixth.
Lower Lake had a run in with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth and was one hit away from making a game of it, but a comebacker ended the threat.
“I was happy with how the boys finished,” Huffman said.
Ashton Hartmann went 2-for-3 for Lower Lake. Negrete, AJ Myer, Nick Nell and Eric Alonso had the Trojans’ other hits.
Lower Lake plays Thursday in Willits at 3:30 p.m.
In other baseball action Tuesday:
Swett 17, Upper Lake 2 (5 inn.)
At Crockett, the Upper Lake Cougars took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a two-run double by Jimmy Sanchez, pretty much the only highlight in a five-inning loss to the Warriors, who visit Upper Lake for another game March 11.
“I don’t think we’re as bad as we looked,” Upper Lake head coach Don Meri said. “We made some mistakes.”
A Swett team that beat North Central League I title contender Clear Lake 3-1 last week simply overwhelmed Upper Lake, scoring five times in the bottom of the first, twice in the second, nine times in the third and once in the fourth.
“They’re a good team, and they took at easy on us,” Meri said. “I thanked their coach after the game.”
Losing pitcher George Rahmer worked the first inning before leaving the game with a sore arm. He allowed two hits, struck out one and walked two.
“I threw three other guys one inning a piece,” Meri said.
Besides Sanchez’s two-run double, the only other Upper Lake hit was a single by Landen Robinson.
Swett improved to 3-0.
