Possible no-hitter evaporates into 2-1 non-league road loss
By Brian Sumpter
Lake County Sports on Facebook
HEALDSBURG >> With Kelseyville nursing a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning, not even a no-hit effort by starting pitcher JD Smart to that point was enough to stop the Healdsburg Greyhounds from rallying for a 2-1 non-league victory Friday night during varsity baseball action at Recreation Park.
Healdsburg scored twice in the bottom sixth on a two-out RBI single by Damon Smith, the first and only hit of the night for the Greyhounds, followed by a run-scoring wild pitch, to spoil an otherwise brilliant start by the Kelseyville sophomore, who struck out and 11 and walked four in his first start of the 2026 season.
While Kelseyville veteran head coach Billy Shaul has lost tougher games during his career, he said this one certainly ranks up there.
“Yeah, that’s a hard one,” Shaul said. “We can learn from this loss.”
It was a defeat made even tougher by what transpired in the top of the seventh as Smart led off the inning with a booming triple into Rec Park’s open spaces in center field, the ball rolling to the 400-foot mark before it was returned to the infield, Smart sliding in ahead of the tag. But the Knights couldn’t get that tying run home as cleanup hitter Case Pivniska, who doubled home Kelseyville’s only run in the top of the first inning, struck out, and Ryan Keithly missed a suicide-squeeze bunt that led to Smart getting throw out at third base after a brief rundown. Keithly then struck out to end the game as Healdsburg’s ace left-hander, Alex Mauro-Manos, completed a three-hitter with his ninth strikeout of the game against no walks.
“I had the guys up there that I wanted,” Shaul said of Pivniska, a talented sophomore, and Keithly, a junior. “In that situation Keithly is one our best guys as far as getting a bunt down, but it just didn’t happen tonight.”
Kelseyville scored an unearned run off Mauro-Manos in the top of the first when Smart reached base on a two-out throwing error by the Healdsburg shortstop, and Pivniska followed with a double to right field, Smart coming all the way around to score.
Healdsburg threatened in the bottom of the first, loading the bases on two walks and a fielding error with only one out, but Smart wiggled his way out of the jam by getting a strikeout and a flyout to center field.
Smart allowed just two batters to reach base over the next four innings, and one of those was thrown out stealing. In the bottom of the fourth, Smart and Healdsburg’s Mason Radelfinger engaged in a drawn-out battle leading off the inning. Radelfinger worked the count full and fouled off five straight pitches before finally taking a called third strike.
As the bottom of the sixth rolled out, Smart worked the count full on each of the first two batters before striking them out, which didn’t help his pitch count by that point in the game. He then issued a full-count walk to Radelfinger, who stole second base. After walking Xander Harms, Shaul had no choice but pull Smart, who had reached the 110-pitch limit.
Sophomore Deake Lyndall replaced Smart on the mound. Smith worked the count to 3-2 before lifting a flyball into shallow right field that dropped in for a base hit, scoring the tying run and moving the potential go-ahead to third base. With Mauro-Manos at the plate facing a 1-2 count, Lyndall’s wild pitch to the backstop allowed the go-ahead run to score. Mauro-Manos then struck out to end the inning.
The Knights had a great chance to at least tie the game in the seventh after Smart’s booming triple, but Mauro-Manos pitched his way out of the jam.
“I really can’t ask for more,” Shaul said of the effort by what is Kelseyville youngest squad in years (only one returning starter). “We went up against a great pitcher.”
Added Shaul of the duel between Smart and Mauro-Manos, “They both compete.”
Certainly one lesson learned in the loss is that strikeouts, while nice, also can use up a lot of pitches that might be better spread around elsewhere, and Smart also took the count to three balls on a number of batters.
“It’s OK to get ahead (in the count) and get an out with one or two pitches,” Shaul said.
Shaul also gave high marks to a Healdsburg defense that committed just one error, the same as Kelseyville.
“Their center fielder made a couple of nice catches,” Shaul said.
Besides Pivniska’s RBI double in the first and Smart’s triple in the seventh, Kelseyville’s only other hit was a sharp one-out single by Lyndall to right field in the bottom of the sixth. He was erased moments later trying to steal second base.
Healdsburg is now 4-0 on the season and Kelseyville 0-2. The Knights play five games next week when they participate in the West Valley Tournament on Thursday (one game) and Friday (two games) before playing a doubleheader Saturday in Arcata.
