MIDDLETOWN — Middletown High school softball coach Lisa Rogers said she knew she was asking a lot from her young squad Thursday as the Mustangs opened their 2007 season by taking on Montgomery High of Santa Rosa, a school with more than 2,000 students, in a non-league game at Middletown.
It was the season opener for the Mustangs, who fell 12-0 to the Vikings in a game called after five innings because of the 10-run rule.
Middletown”s new pitcher, sophomore Jen Emberson, went the distance on the mound for the Mustangs (0-1), allowing nine hits, striking out four and walking four.
“I think she”ll do real well,” Rogers said of Emberson, who replaces the graduated Nicole Scott, Middletown”s staff ace each of the last two seasons. “I mean she had four strikeouts and four walks against Montgomery, and that”s not bad.”
Middletown returns only three starters from last season”s 12-6 club.
“We”re young, but we”ve got a really strong team,” Rogers said.
Middletown”s lone hit against Montgomery was a two-out triple to deep left field off the bat of Julia Leathers in the bottom of the third.
Montgomery scored in every inning against Middletown, tallying two runs in the first, four in the second, two in the third, two in the fourth and two in the fifth.
Middletown plays at Upper Lake today at 3:30 p.m.
