WINTERS — Add this to the list of prettiest things Middletown High School varsity baseball coach Mitch Tucker has ever seen: Walk-off home run.
Zach Strickler”s two-run blast with no outs in the bottom of the seventh inning lifted the Mustangs to a dramatic 10-9 win over Portola on Friday in a winner”s semifinal game at the Winters Tournament.
Middletown (7-5) wasted an 8-4 lead in the top of the seventh as Portola rallied for five runs to go up 9-8, but Strickler saved the day in the bottom of the inning for the Mustangs, who play Willows today at 1 p.m. in the championship game.
Johnny Harmyk”s third hit of the game and fifth hit of the day, an infield single in the hole at shortstop, opened the Middletown seventh. Strickler stepped into the batter”s box and didn”t waste any time, clubbing the first pitch he saw, a belt-high fastball, to deep left-center field.
“He told me after the game he knew he had hit it good,” Tucker said. “I was just watching the flight of the ball, hoping it would get out. Kyle (Harmyk) hit one to the same place earlier in the game and the wind knocked it down,” Tucker added.
“I”ve never been involved in a game-winning, walk-off home run,” Tucker said. “It was beautiful.”
Both teams had five-run innings during the game. Middletown”s came first as the Mustangs struck for five in the bottom of the second to go up 5-1. All five runs scored after two were out and back-to-back hits by Brett Humphrey, who singled, and Kyle Harmyk, who doubled, drove in two runs apiece.
Starting pitcher Johnny Harmyk left the game after four innings with an 8-4 lead.
“He pitched well and deserved the win,” Tucker said.
Daniel Sallee, the third Middletown pitcher, earned the victory.
Earlier Friday, Mid-dletown opened tournament play with a 15-0 five-inning victory over Rio Vista.
Eric Schenck pitched the first four innings for the win, throwing 49 pitches ? all fastballs.
Sallee went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and Johnny Harmyk (2-for-4) doubled, homered and drove in four runs.
In other tournament action Friday:
Quincy 10, Lower Lake 3
Dixon 18, Lower Lake 1
Rained out on Thursday, Lower Lake played two games Friday in the Winters Tournament, falling to Quincy in first-round action and to Dixon in the consolation bracket. The Trojans wrap up play today against either Winters or Rio Vista at 10 a.m.
In the loss to Quincy, Lower Lake got as close as 5-3 with two runs in the top of the fourth.
George Novak worked 5 2/3 innings, striking out three and walking four for Lower Lake. Eddie Sears went 2-for-4 with a double and a RBI and Jesus Fonseca went 2-for-3 for the Trojans.
“Novak pitched well and threw strikes,” Low-er Lake coach Chris Emberson said.
In the loss to Dixon, a game called after five innings because of the 10-run rule, the Trojans (3-9) managed just three hits, singles by Novak, Joe Riggs and Richard Gutierrez. Fonseca drove in Lower Lake”s run.
After today, Lower Lake is off until April 21 against Fort Bragg.
