KELSEYVILLE — After missing a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Kelseyville Indians watched St. Vincent hang a crooked number on the scoreboard in the top of the sixth, paving the way to the Mustangs? 12-3 blowout of the Indians in a North Central League I interlock varsity baseball game with some meaning on Friday at Lloyd Larson Field.
Both teams are leading their respective divisions in the NCL I ? Kelseyville in the North and St. Vincent in the South — and if they go on to finish first, St. Vincent is likely to land a higher seed in the North Coast Section Class A playoffs, which could cost the Indians (10-4) a home game.
?Head-to-head is a big consideration when they seed,? said Kelseyville coach Steve Olson, all too aware of the importance of Friday?s contest. ?We?re not happy with the way things turned out. Maybe we?ll get another shot at them in the playoffs. We?d like that.?
The day started off well enough for the Indians, who scored all of their runs in the bottom of the first to open up a 3-1 lead. After loading the bases with one out, Luke Woodward hit a sacrifice fly and Scott Krohn doubled home two more runs.
St. Vincent regained the lead in the top of the third, scoring three times against losing pitcher Kyle Poloni, 2-1, to go up 4-3.
Still trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the fifth, Ben Olson led off with a single and Curt Lawson drove the ball into the left-center field gap for what looked like an extra-base hit.
?Their center fielder (Mike Dessel) went a long way to catch it,? Olson said. ?He certainly made a big play there.?
When the Mustangs came to bat in the sixth, they went right to work with two straight hits, the second one a bunt single on which the Indians tried to force the runner at second instead of taking the sure out at first.
?Everyone was safe and that kind of open the gates,? Olson said.
St. Vincent went on to pound out seven hits in the inning, sending 11 batters to the plate and scoring six times to take a 10-3 lead. The Mustangs added two more runs in the seventh.
?You have to give to them, they hit the ball well,? Olson said. ?It?s not the kind of inning you want to have happen to you. It?s the kind of inning you want to do to the other guy.?
St. Vincent out-hit Kelseyville 17-6, led by Ryan Galloway, Tom Mellin and Jon Grinnell, all with three hits.
Olson (2-for-3) was the only Kelseyville player with more than one hit.
