KELSEYVILLE — Kelseyville”s Mike Duman struck out 14 batters and allowed only one hit while shutting out the Lower Lake Trojans 5-0 in a North Central League I North varsity baseball game Tuesday at Lloyd Larson Field in Kelseyville.
It was the first league win for the Knights (1-2 North, 9-10 overall), who were coming off a heart-breaking 4-3 loss to Willits, a game in which the Wolverines scored four times in the top of the seventh to win it.
“We”re the kind of team that”s got to pitch, play defense and scratch out runs,” Kelseyville coach Lou Poloni said. “It”s not like we”re going to score eight or nine runs a game and blow someone out.”
With that thought in mind, Poloni said he was happy to see the Knights turn a 3-0 advantage into a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth against Lower Lake (0-2, 3-13). A run-scoring balk and a RBI groundout off the bat of Ryan Cockerton gave Polini, Duman and the rest of the Knights a bit more breathing room against a Lower Lake offense that has been slumping badly of late.
“They are struggling,” Poloni said.
Duman didn”t help matters as far as Lower Lake was concerned. He mixed up fastballs with split-fingered fastballs to keep the Lower Lake hitters on their heels. The Trojans” lone hit was a single by Jonathan Haws with one out in the top of the fourth.
“Mike sawed him off, it didn”t sound very good off the bat, but it was a clean hit between third and shortstop,” Poloni said of Haws” single.
Lower Lake”s only other baserunners were the result of the only walk issued by Duman and three hit batsmen.
“He definitely does have a good fastball and he had it today,” Poloni said. “And he had his split-finger diving into the dirt, more so as the game went along, so he had a second pitch working.”
Dustin Panos anchored the Kelseyville offense, going 2-for-4 with a double, triple and three runs scored. Mike Davis went 2-for-2 with a triple.
The Knights can square their North and overall records on Friday when they visit Middletown at 4 p.m.
