LAKEPORT — Hoping for a two-out hit that would tie the game in the bottom of the fourth inning against the Fort Bragg Timberwolves, Clear Lake High School varsity baseball coach Paul Larrea got more than he could have ever dreamed of Thursday afternoon in Lakeport.
Trailing 2-1 going to the bottom of the fourth, the Cardinals erupted for nine runs, all scoring after two were out, to rout the Timberwolves 11-2 in a North Central League I interlock game.
Roman Rose”s RBI single opened the scoring and tied the game at 2-2. Nick Jordan put Clear Lake (8-1) ahead to stay with a RBI single, then winning pitcher Mike Zimmerman singled home two runs to make it 5-2. Zane Butler”s two-run single boosted the Cardinals” lead to 7-2, a two-run single by James Robinson made it 9-2, and Corey Dillon”s RBI doubled capped the scoring in the inning. In all, the Cardinals sent 12 batters to the plate.
Clear Lake managed just one run in the first three innings against Fort Bragg”s staff ace.
“He”s probably the hardest thrower we”ve seen this season and we were scuffling to get what we could in those first three innings,” Larrea said.
Zimmerman had a big game at the plate, where he went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and on the mound, where he tossed a three-hitter, striking out six and walking two.
“He throws strikes, he throws to good spots,” Larrea said of the left-hander.
Robinson led Clear Lake”s 12-hit attack by going 3-for-4 with two RBIs. He had an 11-pitch at-bat in the bottom of the first. Zimmerman, Butler and Noel McCormack finished with two hits apiece.
In other action Tuesday:
Healdsburg 5, K”ville 2
At Kelseyville, Kelsey-ville”s Mike Duman struck out seven and didn”t walk a batter, but it was the Healdsburg Greyhounds who snapped a 2-2 tie with three runs in the seventh to beat the Knights 5-2 at Lloyd Larson Field in Kelseyville.
“He deserved a little better,” Kesleyville coach Lou Poloni said of his staff ace, who allowed just one earned run. “Duman threw a gem ? no walks and he held runners on.”
Healdsburg loaded the bases with one out in the top of the seventh. A flyball to right field was caught by Steven Grossner, who threw home too late to double up the runner, who had tagged from third.
“We appealed the play to third because he was three steps off the base,” Poloni said.
The appeal was denied and the ”Hounds went on to add two more runs in the inning.
“After the game I talked to the Healdsburg coach and he told me I was wrong,” Poloni said. “He told me he was only two steps off third, not three. But the umpires didn”t see it.”
Both teams scored a run in the second inning. Kelseyville (6-4) pushed ahead 2-1 in the bottom of the third with a loud hit, figuratively and literally, as Tommy Mingori smacked a shot off the scoreboard in left field for a home run.
“It just about broke the scoreboard,” Poloni said.
Middletown 17, Upper Lake 7
At Middletown, winning pitcher Dylan Galusha knocked in three runs and scored three times as the Middletown Mustangs beat the Upper Lake Cougars in a game called after six innings because of the 10-run rule.
It was a nice turnaround game for the Mustangs, who found themselves on the wrong end of a 14-0 decision to St. Vincent on Wednesday.
“We went from being 10-runned to 10-running someone else,” Middletown coach Mitch Tucker said. “It was a nice way for us to forget about yesterday.”
Both teams scored at least one run in each of the first four innings. Middletown (5-4) led 8-4 after two innings, 9-5 after three innings and 12-7 after four innings. The Mustangs put the game away with a five-run bottom of the sixth. Kyle Harmyk”s two-run single pushed the lead to 10, at which point the game ended.
Galusha, the first of three Middletown pitchers, went four innings for the victory.
Zack Strickler went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs for the Mustangs and John Hays went 1-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs.
Joe Barnes and losing pitcher Jayce Meri each had two hits for the Cougars (5-4). Meri also drove in two runs.
