TOMALES — The Middle-town Mustangs are on a four-game winning streak courtesy of the Lower Lake Trojans and Tomales Braves.
Middletown”s next two scheduled games — Friday at Lower Lake and next Tuesday at Tomales — have been forfeited to the Mustangs as a result of what transpired Tuesday afternoon in Tomales during a non-league varsity baseball game between the Trojans and the Braves.
Tomales was leading 3-2 and batting in the bottom of the sixth inning when a tag play at second base resulted in a confrontation between a Lower Lake player and a Tomales player, according to Lower Lake coach Chris Emberson.
“There was one shove and a lot of talking,” Emberson said. “No punches were thrown.”
As Emberson and Tomales coach Bill Tucker were separating the two players, other players already on the field and from both dugouts became involved.
“It happened pretty fast,” Emberson said. “The next thing I knew the umpire came out and said this is the rule and the game was a double forfeit.”
Rule 3-3-1q in the 2008 edition of the National Federation High School Ruleback states: “A player, coach or other bench personnel shall not leave their position on the bench for the purpose of fighting or physical confrontation. The penalty: Umpire to eject the offender or offenders from the game.”
“No one wants to see this happen and I talked with Tomales” AD, Leon Feliciano, who told me both teams were at fault,” Lower Lake athletic director Marty Udy said. “I know we”ll be sitting down and talking things over with the baseball team and I”m sure Tomales will be doing the same.”
Udy said both coaches, Emberson and Tucker, immediately took control of the situation to prevent any further trouble.
“Both coaches did a real good job,” Udy said.
“It”s unfortunate and I don”t feel good about it,” Emberson said of the double forfeit. “We”ll move on from here.”
Since players ejected from a game are required by rule to miss their team”s next game, neither Lower Lake or Tomales has enough eligible players to field a team for their next game, which in both instances happens to be against Middletown.
“As a coach I”m disappointed and I think my players are disappointed,” Middletown coach Mitch Tucker said of losing two games on his schedule, especially so early in the season. “We wanted to see Lower Lake because they”re in our league (North Central League I North).
“It doesn”t feel right getting a W like that,” Tucker said.
On a lighter note, Tucker said the Mustangs, who will be 4-3 after the two forfeits, won”t mind missing their game Tuesday in Tomales if the weather is bad.
“I won”t be too sad if the weather is crappy in Tomales,” Tucker said.
