WILLITS — Joel Valencia”s towering two-run blast to left-center field in the top of the fifth inning provided at least some consolation as the Lower Lake Trojans finished another disappointing varsity baseball season with a 17-4 loss to the Willits Wolverines in a North Central League I North game on Thursday in Willits.
It was the season finale for both teams. Willits ends up 3-5 in the North standings and Lower Lake finishes 0-8 in league and 1-13 overall. The Trojans won their season opener way back in early March and never tasted victory again.
“The fourth inning typified our season,” Lower Lake coach Chris Denny said of Willits” 12-run explosion in the bottom half. “It was a close game and then it rained on us … and we didn”t fight.”
Valencia (2-for-4) had half of the Trojans” four hits, including a memorable home run in his final at-bat of the season.
“He cleared the fence by about 40 feet,” Denny said of Valencia, who was first-pitch swinging after teammate Anthony Lucchesi singled to open the top of the fifth. “The umpire told me it”s the second-longest home run he”s ever seen there.”
Denny, who has hinted that he might not be back in 2007, said that he would.
“If I left it wouldn”t help anything right now,” Denny said.
