SANTA ROSA — A slow start and a bit of bad luck were contributing factors in Upper Lake”s 7-6 loss in eight innings to the Tomales Braves on Thursday in an opening-round game of the Rincon Valley Christian varsity baseball tournament at Doyle Park in Santa Rosa.
Tomales pushed across the winning run with one out in the bottom of the eighth on a wild pitch. The Braves had loaded the bases with one out against losing pitcher Jordan Hickey, who went the distance for the Cougars (4-5). After Hickey issued an intentional walk to load the bases and set up a possible inning-ending double play, his first pitch to the next batter tailed low and inside.
“Their batter had to skip over it,” Upper Lake coach Don Meri said. “Our catcher got a piece of it with his glove but it went back to the screen.”
Upper Lake missed a great opportunity to snap a 6-6 tie in the top of the seventh after Hickey led off with a single, moved up to second base on a Jayce Meri sacrifice bunt, and to third on a passed ball. With Josh Stuckert at the plate, the Cougars put on a suicide-squeeze play and Stuckert popped up a pitch out of the strike zone. Tomales” pitcher gloved the popup and easily doubled up Hickey to end the inning.
“He did a good job just getting the bat on the ball,” Meri said of Stuckert, “but that (popup) was the worst thing that could happen to us right there.”
Hickey, after giving up six runs in the first three innings, settled into a nice groove and retired the Braves in order in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
“He really buckled down and faced the minimum,” Meri said. “He went 7 1/3 pitching strong, he held us in the game and did what he had to do.”
As Hickey was finding his rhythm against the Braves, his offense rallied to tie the game with four runs in the top of the sixth, a two-run single by Joe Barnes (2-for-4) capping the scoring and pulling the Cougars even at 6.
It was Upper Lake”s second straight one-run loss, following on the heels of a 5-4 setback to Ferndale on Saturday.
“Another one-run game against a good team that we didn”t make work,” said Meri, who added that he finds no consolation in dropping close decisions (the so-called moral victory). “Whether you lose by 30 runs or one run to a good team, it”s still a loss. We”ve got to find a way to score one more than a good team.”
Upper Lake faces tournament host Rincon Valley Christian today at 10 a.m. in the consolation semifinals at Doyle Park.
