MIDDLETOWN — There was bad news and good news for the Middletown Mustangs on Thursday during a non-league softball game against the visiting Cloverdale Eagles.
The bad news was the final score — Cloverdale 15, Middletown 1 — a seventh straight loss for the Mustangs after a promising 5-1 start this season.
The good news was that Lindsey Silva, one of two Middletown outfielders injured on Tuesday in a game against Fort Bragg at Middletown, not only suited up for the game, but also played. In fact, Silva doubled in the fifth inning and later scored on a single by teammate Jessica Boylan.
While the plan was to keep Silva on the bench, according to Middletown head coach Lisa Rogers, the plan changed per Silva”s repeated requests.
“She kept chewing and chewing and chewing on me to let her play, so I did,” Rogers said.
Silva had been medically cleared to play before the game. She saw action in left field instead of her normal position in right and made a running catch in the left-center field alley to rob a Cloverdale player of a hit.
While the Middletown center fielder was in the area, there was no collision this time.
“Lindsey had called her off,” Rogers said.
Silva and teammate Brianna Doyle collided in the right-center field gap during the top of the fourth inning in the Fort Bragg game, leaving both players unconscious. Silva was taken by ambulance to St. Helena Hospital-Clearlake, treated and released. Doyle was transported by REACH helicopter to U.C. Davis, where she remains.
“She”s still nauseous,” Rogers said. “They did some more X-rays on her neck and they were negative. They just want to keep an eye on her and make sure she”s OK.”
When Doyle is released from the hospital, she won”t be allowed to participate in any type of contact sport or activity for three months.
“She”ll come back and be a cheerleader for the team,” Rogers said.
And Middletown needs all the cheering and leadership it can get these days. Although a senior-dominated team that Rogers had high hopes for going into the season, the Mustangs are in a major funk right now.
“My frustration level is as high as it could be,” Rogers said. “All I can guess is they (the seniors) have something else on their minds. It”s not all of them, but we need more of the starters to get it done.”
Cloverdale had a 5-0 lead before breaking the game open with a 10-run fourth inning. That was more than enough support for winning pitcher Kena Ruiz, who struck out seven and allowed only three hits. Losing pitcher Jen Emberson struck out two and walked two.
Ruiz and Cherise McEnery both went 2-for-4 with a triple to spark Cloverdale”s offense.
