WILLITS — One out away from their second win of the day and season, the Kelseyville Knights developed a case of the dropsies and fell 7-6 to the Upper Lake Cougars in a final-round game on Saturday at the Willits Softball Tournament.
Kelseyville (1-4) beat Willits 11-5 earlier in the day for its first win of the season and the Knights took a 6-5 lead into the bottom of the seventh against the Cougars.
“We had ”em,” Kelseyville coach Greg Giusti said as the Knights retired the first two batters in the inning.
But three dropped flyballs sandwiched around a single allowed the Cougars (5-2) to salvage the win.
“We were one out away from a good afternoon,” Giusti said. “I felt so bad for those kids. Emotion simply got the better of us.”
Giusti also praised the Cougars, who played all three of their tournament games on Saturday and won two.
“Upper Lake hung with us the whole way and stuck with it,” he said.
Kelseyville (1-4) scored twice in the top of the sixth to push ahead 6-5.
Winning pitcher Courtney Gatton struck out six and walked one and also went 2-for-4 at the plate.
Courtney Haskett went 2-for-3 with a RBI for Kelseyville and also pitched 4 1/3 innings, striking out two and walking none.
In other games involving Lake County teams:
M”town 5, Upper Lake 4
In a first-round game, the Middletown Mustangs avenged an 8-4 loss to Upper Lake earlier this season with a one-run win, their first victory of the 2007 season.
Middletown senior shortstop Sam Senseney, playing softball for the time in her high school career, went 2-for-2 with two RBIs to lead Middletown. Julia Leathers went 1-for-2 with a double, two runs and two RBIs.
Caity Falge went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and Rebecca Grupe went 2-for-4.
Fort Bragg 18, M”town 5
In a game called after four innings because of tournament time rules, the Fort Bragg Timberwolves scored at least four runs in every inning to beat the Middletown Mustangs. The two teams will play twice more when the North Central League I North season opens.
Julia Leathers went 2-for-3 for Middletown and Kelsey Welton went 1-for-2 with a double and three RBIs.
Kelseyville 11, Willits 5
In a second-round game, Kelseyville scored three times in the bottom of the fourth inning to snap a 5-5 tie and added three insurance runs in the sixth.
Winning pitcher Casey Bowlin struck out five and walked two.
“Bowlin pitched strong, looked great out there,” Giusti said of junior staff ace. “It was a fun game.”
Lauren Giusti, the Knights” senior first baseman, went 3-for-4 with a RBI and Ashley Graham went 2-for-2.
M”town 7, Laytonville 4
In a third-round game, the Middletown Mustangs rallied for five runs in the top of the seventh to pull out a victory against the Laytonville Warriors.
Winning pitcher Jen Emberson struck out 12 battlers and walked only two and Senseney went 2-for-3. Leathers added a hit and scored three times.
“She was on fire,” Middletown coach Lisa Rogers said of Emberson, who allowed only two runs over the final six innings.
