Despite starting season 1-9, Knights claw their way to .500 mark for first time this season
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KELSEYVILLE >> JD Smart pitched a three-hitter, struck out 10 and hit his second home run of the season as the Kelseyville Knights beat St. Helena 4-1 on Tuesday afternoon at Lloyd Larson Field, knocking the Saints out of a first-place tie with Clear Lake atop the North Central League I varsity baseball standings.
Kelseyville improved to 10-3 in league play while St. Helena fell to 11-2. The Saints opened play Tuesday tied with Clear Lake (11-1) for first place. The Cardinals are home Wednesday to play Fort Bragg (8-4), needing a win to clinch no worse than a tie for the title. The league title could still end up being divided up to three ways should the Timberwolves beat Clear Lake, and depending on the results of Friday’s games when Kelseyville visits St. Helena and Clear Lake travels to Fort Bragg.
“Once he found his zone, he did great,” Kelseyville head coach Billy Shaul said of the sophomore Smart, who had his toughest inning in the first when he threw 19 pitches and allowed the Saints’ lone run.
Smart quickly settled down to blank St. Helena over the final six innings, never throwing more than 16 pitches in an inning after the first. He finished with 91 pitches.
“They (Saints) hit the ball, but we fielded it behind him,” Shaul said, pointing to the likes of shortstop Carson Stone who handled all five of his chances cleanly.
While the Knights stranded more runners than Shaul was comfortable with, they had some big hits. Max Lee, who hits eighth in the batting order, connected on a no-doubt-about-it solo home run to left field in the sixth inning, and he also smacked a run-scoring double in the fourth.
“It was huge getting two RBIs from the eighth spot,” Shaul said.
Smart homered to left-center in the fifth inning on a day that wasn’t conducive for the long ball, according to Shaul.
“The wind was blowing in from left,” Shaul said.
Kelseyville pushed in front 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth before Smart’s and Lee’s home runs extended the lead.
The Knights, now 11-11 overall, reached the .500 mark for the first time this season, which is saying something considering they started the year 1-9.
“We’re getting hot at the right time,” Shaul said as the Knights approach the end of the regular season with the North Coast Section playoffs to follow.
Brayton Thomas, Michael Dougherty and Deake Lyndall also had hits for the Knights.
Kai Blasingame worked the first five innings for St. Helena and took the loss. Cole Joy went 2-for-3 for the Saints while Huck Anderson went 1-for-3 with a double and RBI.
GAME NOTES: While Kelseyville doesn’t control its own destiny in the league race, a win in its league finale Friday at St. Helena would guarantee the Knights no worse than a tie for second place in the final league standings … A Clear Lake win on Wednesday against Fort Bragg eliminates Kelseyville from the league race … Where a team finishes in the league standings has ramifications on the All-League team as the higher the finish, the more players that team will have honored … Kelseyville’s 7-6 league-opening loss to Middletown on March 24 in Middletown certainly looms large for the Knights. “That Middletown game could come back to bite us,” Shaul said.
