Cardinals, Trojans post North Central League I varsity baseball wins
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KELSEYVILLE >> Opening a big home-and-away set against the Fort Bragg Timberwolves on Tuesday afternoon, the Kelseyville Knights let a 2-0 lead get away in the top of the seventh inning only to redeem themselves in a thrilling 3-2 nine-inning victory at Lloyd Larson Field.
Carson Stone’s two-out RBI single scored Deake Lyndall from third base to give the Knights (5-1 league, 6-9 overall) a fifth straight victory. Kelseyville had runners at first and second with no outs when Case Pivniska bounced into a 4-6-3 double play, sending Lyndall, who walked to open the inning, to third base. Stone (2-for-5) followed with a liner over the shortstop’s head.
“Our first close win of the season,” Kelseyville head coach Billy Shaul said. “It was good to get that one.”
Kelseyville had gone 0-5 in one-run games until Tuesday.
“Hopefully it gives us some confidence,” Shaul said. “Now we know we can do it.”
Stone also had a RBI double in the bottom of the first inning to give Kelseyville a 1-0 lead. He later scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.
Kelseyville starting pitcher JD Smart made that 2-0 lead stand up until the top of the seventh when Fort Bragg (4-3, 9-7) scored on a two-out RBI triple by Chris Hernandez. Smart had two strikes on the next batter, but a wild pitch allowed Hernandez to race home with the tying run.
Smart’s next pitch resulted in a strikeout to end the top of the seventh, the sophomore’s 110 and final pitch of the game.
Kelseyville loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the eighth, but the next two batters struck out.
Carter Killion worked the first seven innings for Fort Bragg before giving way to Giancarlo Diaz, who took the loss. Brayton Thomas pitched the eighth and ninth innings for Kelseyville to earn the win. He struck out two and walked none.
Stone and Smart had two hits apiece for the Knights. Thomas went 1-for-3 with a double while Lyndall, Ryan Keithly and Max Lee also had hits.
The same two teams play Friday in Fort Bragg at 4 p.m.
In other NCL I baseball action Tuesday:
Clear Lake 15, Middletown 5 (6 inn.)
At Lakeport, Clear Lake scored the game’s final 10 runs after Middletown pulled even at 5-5 with three runs in the top of the fourth inning. Clear Lake answered with two runs in its half of the fourth, added two more in the fifth and six in the sixth to 10-run the Mustangs.
The Cardinals (6-1, 10-6-1) collected only seven hits but had no shortage of baserunners as they were hit by Middletown pitches six times while also drawing six walks.
The high number of hit batsmen didn’t sit well with his players, according to Clear Lake head coach Brian Horne, who said things got “chippy” between the two teams as the game progressed.
Clear Lake starting pitcher AJ Bruch went only two innings by design, according to Horne, who said the Cardinals want a well-rested Bruch next week when they face Kelseyville twice.
“He was on a 50-pitch limit,” Horne said of Bruch, who left with a 5-2 lead.
Bruch allowed two hits, two runs, struck out four and walked two before giving way to David Cruz Jr., who went the final four innings for the victory, striking out seven and walking four.
Zane McAuley went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs for the Cardinals while Ezekiel Lopez went 2-for-2 with a triple and three RBIs. His two-run triple in the bottom of the second was part of a three-run Clear Lake rally that snapped a 2-2 tie.
Jesse Hayes (1-for-4), Ryken Villanueva (1-for-4 and Grayson Murray (1-for-1) also knocked in runs for the Cardinals.
Blake Costlow (2-for-3, 2 RBIs) and Jon Hawkins (2-for-4) both hit triples for Middletown (3-4, 7-7). Tyler Galamay went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Other hits went to Hunter Karp, Cody de Jong and losing pitcher Madden Sutton.
“The first 4 ½ innings were pretty good, the defense was solid,” Middletown head coach Marc Humphrey said. ‘We were hitting a little better than some recent games, but the pitching was our weakness if you consider hitting six batters a weakness. I lost track of the walks (six), and we were not holding runners on base.”
The six walks issued by Clear Lake pitching certainly helped the Mustangs stay close until the middle innings.
“We just kept getting behind (in the count),” Horne said of his pitchers. “Walks kept them in the game.”
The Cardinals have scored 10 or more runs in eight of their 17 games this season.
Clear Lake travels to Middletown on Friday. First pitch is 4 p.m. at Wes Martin Field.
Lower Lake 9, Upper Lake 0
At Lower Lake, winning pitcher Brody Shields lost a no-hitter with one out in the top of the seventh inning, settling for a one-hitter against Upper Lake.
Landen Robinson’s infield single, a grounder deep in the hole at shortstop, broke up Shields’ no-hit bid.
“He pitched well,” Upper Lake head coach Don Meri said of Shields, who struck out 13.
Losing pitcher George Rahmer worked 4 2/3 innings, striking out four, walking none and hitting three.
Lower Lake scored a run in the first and four more in the second for a 5-0 lead. The Trojans added two more runs in the fifth and two in the sixth.
Robinson’s seventh-inning single barely eluded Lower Lake’s shortstop.
“He got a glove on it,” Meri said. “But he couldn’t throw him out from deep in the hole.”
Meri credited his center fielder, Mikel Compton, with a solid effort in the outfield, including an 8-3 double play in the sixth inning.
Both teams entered the game looking for their first league win. Lower Lake is now 1-4 in the NCL I standings and 4-9-1 overall. Upper Lake is 0-6 in league and 2-10 overall.
Lower Lake travels to Upper Lake on Friday. First pitch is 4 p.m.
