CLOVERDALE — Even without their best player in the lineup, the Lower Lake Trojans turned in a solid effort before losing to North Central League I South leader Cloverdale 6-3 in a non-league varsity baseball game on Thursday at City Park.
Jesus Fonseca, Lower Lake”s No. 3 hitter, had to miss the game after receiving several stitches to close a cut on his lip, the result of a school accident.
“The doctor didn”t want him to play for 24 hours,” Lower Lake coach Chris Emberson said.
Lower Lake (3-11) scored a run in the top of the fifth inning to pull even at 2, but two Trojan errors in the bottom half paved the way for a four-run Cloverdale rally. Lower Lake scored its final run in the top of the seventh and had two runners on base with one out when the game ended on a line-drive double play.
Stephen Whitcomb went the distance on the mound for Lower Lake and allowed only four hits. He struck out three and walked three.
“That”s the best I”ve seen him pitch in the last two years,” Emberson said. “He threw strikes.”
Mitch Delfino, who will be playing under scholarship at U.C. Berkeley this time next spring, went 2-for-3 with a double and triple to account for half of Cloverdale”s hit total.
Joe Riggs went 2-for-4 with a RBI for Lower Lake. Richard Gutierrez and Will Stiles also drove in runs for the Trojans, who jumped ahead 1-0 in the top of the second. Cloverdale took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third.
Lower Lake travels to Willits today for a NCL I North game. First pitch is 4 p.m.
