KELSEYVILLE — Timely hitting carried the Kelseyville Knights to a 9-4 win over the St. Helena Saints in a North Central League I interlock varsity baseball game on Tuesday at Lloyd Larson Field.
Kelseyville (2-5) won its second straight in the first game of a home-and-home series between the two teams, who play today in St. Helena.
“I think we saw their ace,” Kelseyville coach Morgan Weiper said of St. Helena starting pitcher Wilson Barr, who the Knights roughed up for six runs in the first three innings for a 6-2 lead.
Things did tighten up after that as the Saints (2-6) scored single runs in the fourth and fifth to close to 6-4. Kelseyville answered with its final three runs in the bottom of the fifth the first one scoring on Kevin Benjamin”s RBI single and the next two on Jason Templeton”s two-run double.
Templeton, working in relief of winning pitcher Luis Martinez, registered the save with 2 2/3 innings of solid he relief. He struck out five and walked three.
Kelseyville scored three times in the bottom of the second to wipe out a 2-1 St. Helena lead. The big hit in the inning was Richie Bucher”s two-run double to right field, which chased home Mike Duman and Joe Gatlyn.
The Knights added two more runs in the bottom of the third on Gatlyn”s RBI triple and Martinez” sacrifice fly.
Duman and Benjamin each had two hits for Kelseyville and Lucas McBride went 1-for-3 with a double.
After their road trip to St. Helena today, the Knights travel to Lakeport on Friday to play Clear Lake at 4 p.m.
Both games begin at 4 p.m.
