KELSEYVILLE — The topsy-turvy North Central League I North softball race got a little bit crazier on Friday afternoon thanks in part to the Middletown Mustangs” 6-5 victory over the Kelseyville Knights at Kelseyville.
Combined with Lower Lake”s 17-4 win over previously unbeaten Willits on Friday in Willits and every team in the North now has at least one loss. The five teams are separated by a game or less.
Middletown (1-2, 6-8) snapped a seven-game losing streak behind the pitching of Jen Emberson and the hitting of Kayla Dilks and Jessica Boylan. Emberson struck out four and walked only one, while Dilks went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Boylan singled and homered, smacking a solo shot to deep left field in the second inning.
All of the game”s runs were scored in the first four innings. Middletown snapped a 2-all tie with four runs in the top of the fourth and Kelseyville (2-2, 6-9) got three of those runs back in the bottom of the inning.
Middletown protested the game in the second inning, claiming Kelseyville starter Sabrina Lyon”s pitching motion was illegal. Lyon, a freshman, has pitched since the beginning of the year without a protest being filed. What irked Kelseyville coach Greg Giusti is that the Middletown coaching staff continued to complain about Lyon”s motion as the game progressed, even though the umpires rejected Middletown”s argument.
“This pitcher has been looked at by every umpire and her motion has been cleared,” Giusti said. “They protested in the second inning and were still barking about it three innings later. It”s unsportsmanlike, it”s disruptive and distracting saying it every inning to a 14-year-old (Lyon).”
Middletown later withdrew the protest.
Monique Santana went 3-for-4 and scored twice for Kelseyville. Sarah Johnson also had three hits and a RBI and Kyra Rudnick went 1-for-1 with two RBIs.
