CALISTOGA — The Kelseyville High School softball team coach Greg Giusti expected to see last Friday against Calistoga didn”t show up. Three days later, it was a completely different story.
After dropping a 4-2 decision at home last week to Calistoga, the Knights traveled to the Wildcats” homefield on Monday and rolled to a 9-2 non-league victory, Kelseyville”s first win of the 2008 season.
“We showed up with a different team today,” Giusti said. “Last Friday it was some other team. I hope this team doesn”t go anywhere.”
Winning pitcher Casey Bowlin worked the first five innings and departed with a comfortable 8-2 lead. She scattered four hits, struck out two and didn”t walk a batter.
Anchoring the Kelseyville offense was Allyson Brown, who went 3-for-3 with four RBIs. She singled home a run during a three-run first, singled home both of the Knights” runs in the second, walked in the fourth and singled home a run in the sixth to make it 9-2.
“They actually listened to the old man,” Giusti said. “I”ve been telling them they need to remember the fundamentals we practice every day (in batting practice). Today we hit the ball well and we bunted it well, just like we do in practice.”
Bowlin and Amanda Mueller added two hits apiece as Kelseyville improved to 1-2 on the season.
Kelseyville”s defense turned in another strong effort, committing no errors.
In baseball action on Saturday:
Kelseyville 14, Potter Valley 6
At Potter Valley, Steven Grossner went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs and the Kelseyville Knights improved to 3-0 with a victory over the Potter Valley Bearcats on Saturday.
Former Kelseyville High School player Tim Conrad, the younger brother of Kelseyville varsity boys” basketball coach Scott Conrad, is the Potter Valley coach.
While the Knights banged out 14 hits, they also committed five errors.
“The five errors weren”t particularly hard hit balls,” Kelseyville coach Lou Poloni said.
Kelseyville”s miscues allowed Potter Valley to stay in the game early as the Bearcats scored four times in the bottom of the third to cut the Knights” lead to 6-5. It was still a close game after five innings — 7-6 — before Kelseyville pulled away with a three-run sixth and a four-run seventh.
One of the bright spots for the Knights was the play of sophomores Grossner, Jared Wagner, Ryan Cockerton and Pete Wotherspoon, according to Poloni.
“My sophomores are continuing to get better,” Poloni said.
Besides Grossner leading the team in hits against Potter Valley, Cockerton went 1-for-2 with two RBIs, Wotherspoon went 1-for-3 with a RBI and Wagner, the second of four Kelseyville pitchers, allowed no earned runs in 2 1/3 innings while striking out one and walking one. Grossner also pitched a scoreless sixth inning and junior Mike Duman struck out the side in the seventh.
Cody Rosado went 2-for-5 with three runs and Matt Jones went 2-for-3 with two doubles. Tommy Mingori and Justin Lilly each had a double and a RBI for Kelseyville.
Clear Lake 8, Pierce 2
Clear Lake 14 Pierce 11
At Lakeport, the Clear Lake Cardinals banged out 26 hits in two games while sweeping Pierce 8-2 and 14-11 in a non-league doubleheader.
In the wild second game, Clear Lake jumped out to a 5-1 lead only to watch Pierce strike for eight runs in the top of the fifth. The Cardinals then rallied with three runs in the bottom of the sixth and six more in the sixth.
James Robinson”s bases-loaded double, a smash down the left-field line, cleared the bases during Clear Lake”s big six-run sixth. Robinson went 3-for-4 with four RBIs in the game.
Roman Rose, working in relief of starter Mike Zimmerman and reliever Zane Butler, pitched the final 2 1/3 innings to register the victory.
Eric Jameson went 2-for-5 with a double and a RBI and Ryan Lunas went 2-for-5 for Clear Lake. Jameson finished the doubleheader 5-for-9 with two doubles and two RBIs.
In the opener, Ryan Hansford worked five strong innings for the victory, striking out four and walking one.
“He throws strikes,” Clear Lake coach Paul Larrea said. “We made a couple errors that increased his pitch count a little bit, so we decided to take him out after the fifth.”
Butler relieved and blanked the Bears over the final two innings.
Clear Lake trailed 2-1 going to the bottom of the fourth but rallied with four runs. The first scored on a Butler single, Corey Dillon”s RBI single put the Cardinals ahead to stay at 3-2, and Rose followed with a two-run single to make it 5-2.
Dillon and Jameson each had three hits for the Cardinals. Dillon, the Cardinals” center fielder, missed most of the second game after colliding with left fielder Robinson in the top of the sixth while both players were pursuing a flyball. In the top of the third, Dillon ran down a deep flyball that might have gone for a home run, according to Larrea.
The Cardinals struck out only seven times in the doubleheader, a good sign, according to their coach.
“We”re putting the ball into play and hitting a lot of balls into the gaps. We have a fast team and we”re going to run the bases. I”m really pleased with the way we”re swinging the bat,” Larrea said.
Rebounding from Pierce”s eight-run inning in the second game was another positive sign, according to Larrea.
“The kids picked themselves up and came right back with three runs (in the bottom of the fifth) to make it a one-run game,” Larrea said. “Then we had that big sixth inning.”
Clear Lake hosts Calistoga today at 4 p.m.
