CALISTOGA — The Middletown Mustangs used a 16-run top of the sixth inning to overwhelm the Calistoga Wildcats 35-0 in a non-league varsity baseball game on Thursday in Calistoga.
“I would have been happy with 19-0,” Middletown coach Mitch Tucker said of the game score after five complete innings.
Calistoga (0-1), which is struggling to a field a team this year, was making its season debut. Middletown (2-3) suited up only 10 players for the game and they all had at least one hit. Winning pitcher Jake Strickler, Jacky Crachiola and Travis Taylor had four hits apiece for the Mustangs, who banged out 28 in all. Strickler went 4-for-6 with a double, triple, four RBIs and four runs; Taylor went 4-for-7 with a triple, four RBIs and four runs; and Crachiola went 4-for-6 with a triple, four RBIs and five runs.
Three other Mustangs had three hits apiece.
Strickler blanked the Wildcats on one hit over the first four innings, struck out five and walked one. Tomko pitched a scoreless fifth and Crachiola tossed a scoreless sixth.
Middletown scored at least two runs in every inning, including six in the third.
