KELSEYVILLE — Grant Young”s Lake County-leading fifth home run of the season proved to be the decisive blow on Friday as the Middletown Mustangs held off the Kelseyville Indians 4-3 to claim a share of the North Central League I North varsity baseball championship at Lloyd Larson Field.
It was a bitter defeat for the Indians, who could have wrapped up the undisputed North title and an automatic playoff berth with a win in the regular-season finale for both teams. Instead, Middletown and Kelseyville finish as North co-champions and Middletown (17-4) gets the automatic playoff berth because of a number-draw tiebreaker. Kelseyville(12-7) can still reach next week”s North Coast Section Class A playoffs as an at-large team.
“Hopefully our reputation will help us get in, but there are no guarantees,” Kelseyville coach Steve Olson said of the Indians” chances.
“We”ve got a good shot at being at home (for the first round),” Middletown coach Mike Robertson said of the Mustangs” playoff opener next week against an opponent to be determined.
Near title elimination earlier this season with a 2-2 league record, the Mustangs won their final four games, including impressive road wins at Willits, Fort Bragg and finally Kelseyville.
“I can”t remember the last time a Middletown team beat Kelseyville here,” Robertson said. “So it feels pretty good.”
Another thing that felt pretty good to the Mustangs was a three-run rally that snapped a 1-1 tie in the top of the fifth.
Kelseyville staff ace Ben Olson struck out the first two batters in the fifth and appeared headed for an easy inning, but Middletown lead-off hitter Kris Cole kept things going by drawing a walk and he moved over to second on an errant pickoff play, one of five Kelseyville errors on the day. Ryan Peterson followed with a deep drive to left that Kelseyville outfielder Luke Woodward got a glove on but couldn”t hold while pinned up against the wall. Cole scored on the play to make it 2-1.
Young stepped to the plate and quickly doubled Middletown”s run total with a drive over the left-field fence that Woodward could only watch.
Middletown starter Mike Gipson, 6-1, carried that 4-1 lead into the sixth when the Indians rallied for two runs to close to 4-3. Kyle Poloni drew a lead-off walk and advanced to second on Curt Lawson”s one-out infield single. Olson singled down the left-field line to score Poloni and Lawson beat the throw to third as Olson moved up to second.
Robertson went to his trump card at that point, bringing in ace Cole. Scott Krohn grounded out to first base to score Lawson, but Cole struck out pinch-hitter Louie Martinez to end the threat and preserve Middletown”s one-run lead.
After the Mustangs were retired in order in the top of the seventh, the Indians went quietly in the bottom of the seventh as Cole struck out the first two batters he faced and then retired Kirk Sills on a groundout to first.
Sills figured prominently in the game”s outcome for an entirely different reason.
With Kelseyville leading 1-0 on the strength of Ben Olson”s two-out bloop single in the bottom of the first, Sills led off the Kelseyville third with a blast into the right-center field gap for an apparent double. But almost before Sills had arrived at second the Middletown bench was asking for an appeal at first base, claiming Sills had missed the bag. On the appeal play, first-base umpire John Meier called Sills out and first-base coach Lou Poloni began to argue the call. As Poloni continued to plead the Indians” case, he was ejected by Meier.
“I didn”t see it, but two of my coaches said he missed the bag,” Robertson said.
Oh, he hit the base,” coach Steve Olson said. “He nearly tripped over it. In the end … a 4-3 loss … that was a big call.”
Middletown eventually tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the fourth. Young singled to right field leading off the innings ? the Mustangs” first hit of the game ? and Gipson sacrificed him to second base. Jackie Crachiola followed with a crisp RBI single to left field but was thrown out at second trying to stretch it into a double.
Both starting pitchers turned in solid efforts. Gipson worked 5 1/3 innings, allowing four hits, striking out one and walking three. Cole relieved and pitched 1 2/3 perfect innings for the save, striking out three. Olson, 7-5, took the loss despite a complete-game four-hitter that included eight strikeouts and three walks.
“He got us where we needed to be,” Robertson said of Gipson”s outing.
“Ben pitched a great game,” Olson said of his son”s day on the mound.
Middletown”s defense turned two double plays, a 4-6-3 twin-killing in the bottom of the first that prevented the Indians from having an even bigger inning, and an unassisted 4-3 double play in the second when second baseman Crachiola fielded a grounder off the bat of Mike Brown right behind second. He stepped on the bag and threw on to first.
The Mustangs didn”t commit a single error.
“We”ve had two games this year where the defense floundered, but otherwise we”ve done a great job. This is the best defensive team I”ve ever had.”
