County varsity baseball teams finish up non-league schedules, prepare for league
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KELSEYVILLE >> Billy Shaul has been through tough preseasons before as head coach of the Kelseyville High School varsity baseball team, but that doesn’t mean starting the year 1-8 sits well him.
It doesn’t.
In their final tuneup before the start of North Central League I play on Tuesday, the Knights dropped both ends of a non-league doubleheader to the Del Norte Warriors, losing 5-4 in the opener and 8-5 in the second game.
“We’re going to have to figure this out at some point,” Shaul said. “Someone needs to step up.”
The Knights have been close in most of their games. Of their eight losses to date, they’ve lost by three or fewer runs six times, including four one-run setbacks. In the first game against Del Norte on Thursday, they scored twice in the seventh to cut the Warriors’ lead to 5-4 and left the bases loaded. In the second game, they threatened again in the seventh but couldn’t get the one big hit that’s been missing most of the season.
Not enough offense and sloppy defense have detracted from steady pitching in most of their outings.
“We should be beating some of the teams we’ve lost to,” Shaul said.
In game one against Del Norte, the Warriors took a 3-2 lead into the seventh, padding their advantage with two runs in the top half against relieved Brayton Thomas, who worked the final 1 1/3 innings. Reese Johnson started and made it through 5 2/3 innings, allowing five hits and three runs (none earned) with six strikeouts and one walk.
Kelseyville made it a game despite committing a season-high 10 errors.
“Errors killed us in the first part of the game,” Shaul said. “We gave ourselves a chance to win, but you can give a team 10 extra outs.”
The Knights had only two hits, singles by Carson Stone and Ryder Weiper.
If game one wasn’t difficult enough for Shaul and the Knights, game two only compounded the frustration as the Knights scored three times in the bottom of the first inning and once in the third to go up 4-0.
Del Norte came roaring back with three runs in the fourth, two in the fifth and three in the sixth for an 8-4 lead. Kelseyville got its final run in the seventh but again left multiple runners on base.
“We got flat in the middle innings and stopped hitting the ball,” Shaul said. “Almost all of our (nine) hits came in the first three innings.”
JD Smart took the loss, working six innings and allowing nine hits and eight runs (six earned) with five strikeouts and two walks. The sophomore led the Knights at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a RBI. Thomas singled, tripled and drove in a run while Case Pivniska doubled and drove in a run. Other hits went to Ryan Keithly, Carson Stone (RBI) and Elijah Watkins.
Shaul is hoping the start of league play – the Knights are on the road Tuesday at Middletown – will help the Knights improve their focus on the field. Kelseyville is the three-time defending NCL I champion but an underdog entering the 2026 race.
In other non-league baseball action Thursday:
Arcata 6, Middletown 0 (first round)
Middletown 5, Weed 4 (consolation semis)
At Fort Bragg, the Middletown Mustangs bounced back from a first-round loss to Arcata to beat Weed in the consolation semifinals as Jon Hawkins doubled home two runs in the bottom of the sixth to erase a 4-3 deficit.
Cody Perez pitched a complete game for the Mustangs (4-2) against Weed, scattering seven hits, allowing only one earned run, striking out two and walking one. He also helped himself at the plate, going 1-for-2 with a RBI. John Finny also had a hit.
In the Mustangs’ first-round loss to Arcata, Hawkins took the loss after working the first five innings. He allowed only three hits and no earned runs while striking out seven and walking two.
Of Middletown’s three hits, Hawkins tripled, Madden Sutton doubled and Cody de Jong singled.
Middletown plays either Hoopa or South Fork for the consolation championship Friday at 3 p.m.
The Mustangs return home Tuesday to host Kelseyville in the league opener for both teams at 4 p.m.
