LAKEPORT — Winning pitcher Corey Dillon had the kind of day losing pitcher Kevin Freeman could only dream about on Tuesday.
Dillon worked 4 2/3 innings, striking out eight, and he also went 3-for-5 at the plate as the Clear Lake Cardinals sent the Lower Lake Trojans to a 12-3 loss in a non-league varsity baseball game at Lakeport.
Freeman”s day didn”t start very well and ended even worse. He surrendered six runs in the bottom of the first, his only inning of work, and struck out in his only two official at-bats. He also was hit twice. After striking out in his final at-bat in the top of the sixth, Freeman was ejected from the game for arguing balls and strikes, making him ineligible for the Trojans” next game on Tuesday in Tomales.
“We came out today and hit a lot of balls to the right side,” Clear Lake coach Paul Larrea said of the Cardinals” six-run first. “Our hits were finding the gaps and we made the most of it.”
“Their hits weren”t hit really hard, they just found the holes,” Lower Lake coach Chris Emberson said. “They definitely hit the ball well.”
In a break from past seasons under former Clear Lake head coach Brian Figg, who erected a portable fence in the outfield to take advantage of the Cardinals” power, Larrea said that fence has been taken down.
“We have some speed on this team and we want to take advantage of it,” Larrea said. “We”re the type of team that can hit the ball into the gaps.”
Lower Lake reliever Jesus Fonseca did a pretty good job keeping the Cardinals (2-1) in check until they broke the game wide open with a five-run bottom of the sixth. Fonseca pitched the final five innings, allowed nine hits and six runs (four earned), struck out four and didn”t walk a batter.
Clear Lake received solid relief from Mike Zimmerman, who replaced Dillon with two outs in the fifth and worked 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He struck out three and walked none.
Noel McCormack went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs to fuel Clear Lake”s 12-hit attack. Zimmerman went 2-for-4 and Zane Butler went 1-for-2 with two RBIs.
Angel Macias and Jake Sanders each went 1-for-3 with a RBI for the Trojans, who had just four hits.
There was one scary moment in the game as Clear Lake”s Alan Moses (1-for-1, double) was cleated at third base and had to go to the hospital where he received five stitches, according to Larrea.
In other games Tuesday:
Upper Lake 14, Potter Valley 13
At Potter Valley, the Upper Lake Cougars took a 14-9 lead into the bottom of the seventh and barely survived to beat the Potter Valley Bearcats, who had the bases loaded when the game ended.
Winning pitcher Jayce Meri retired the first two batters he faced in the seventh and was one out away from a complete game when he lost command of the plate and began walking batter after batter.
Jordan Hickey recorded the final out to register the save as Upper Lake improved to 2-1 on the season.
Fifteen of the game”s 27 runs were scored in the first two innings and Potter Valley led 9-6 after the second. But the Cougars scored twice in the fourth and once in the fifth to tie the game, then pushed ahead 12-9 with a three-run sixth. They added two more runs in the seventh for a 14-9 advantage.
Meri ended up walking nine and striking out four. He compensated with a big game at the plate, going 4-for-5 with two doubles and seven RBIs. Sam Wurm and Brandon Bills each went 3-for-5 with a RBI as the Cougars banged out 17 hits in all.
“We started playing def-ense in the third inning and that helped us,” Upper Lake coach Don Meri said.
Willows 6, Middletown 5
At Willows, a double-play grounder that was thrown away at first base for an error paved the way for the Willows Honkers” non-league win over the Middletown Mustangs.
Middletown (0-3) had just tied the game at 4 with a run in the top of the fifth and Devin Nordin appeared to be out of the bottom of the fifth when a Willows batter hit what appeared to be an inning-ending double-play grounder. The Mustangs forced the runner at second base but threw the ball away at first. A run scored on the play to give the Honkers a 5-4 lead. Another Middletown error made it 6-4.
The Mustangs got one of those runs back in to the top of the sixth but couldn”t overtake the Honkers.
“It”s a pretty good Willows team,” said Middletown coach Mitch Tucker, who found a silver lining in the loss.
“My team actually showed up and proved to themselves that they”re a good team,” Tucker said. “After our first two games, this one was much better.”
Nordin went the distance on the mound for Middletown, allowing just four hits and two earned runs. He struck out six and walked five.
“Devin Nordin threw the ball well,” Tucker said. “He struck out the side in the fourth and struck out the final two batters he faced in the sixth. His velocity was up today and I think he gained a bit of confidence.”
Trailing 4-2 after two innings, Nordin settled into a groove the rest of the away, according to Tucker.
“I was really pleased with his performance,” Tucker said.
Eric Tomko went 2-for-4 at the plate with a RBI and Trey Davis and Travis Taylor had doubles for the Mustangs.
Softball
Healdsburg 16, Lower Lake 6
At Healdsburg, two Lower Lake pitchers combined to hit 12 batters and walk another five in a non-league loss to the Healdsburg Greyhounds.
“My young pitchers are learning the hard way,” Lower Lake coach Tim Sherrell said. “And I”m still moving girls around and that makes it a little more tougher for them.”
Kristen Garcia took the loss for Lower Lake. She allowed only four hits but hit eight and walked four in 2 1/3 innings. Brittany Shores finished up.
The game was called in the bottom of the sixth because of the 10-run rule.
Shores, a sophomore, went 2-for-4 with a double and a RBI for Lower Lake, and Mirella Valencia went 1-for-3 with a RBI.
Lower Lake trailed 15-1 after three innings but came back with five runs in the top of the fifth.
Potter Valley 17, Upper Lake 16
At Potter Valley, Potter Valley rallied from a 14-5 deficit to spoil the Upper Lake Cougars” season debut.
The game was called in the bottom of the fifth inning because of darkness, but not before the Bearcats scored twice to win it.
Potter Valley pushed across 10 runs in the bottom of the fourth to go ahead 15-14. Upper Lake (0-1) regained the lead with a two-run top of the fifth, but the Bearcats got those two runs back in the bottom of the inning.
Amy Collins had four hits and drove in seven of the Cougars” runs.
“Not too bad since we”re a month behind,” Upper Lake coach Kelly Coburn said. “We only picked our team last Friday. I have an awesome group.”
Jessica Swaney was the starting pitcher for Upper Lake but it was reliever Caity Falge who took the loss.
