UPPER LAKE — The Middletown Mustangs have spent the 2009 softball season streaking in one direction or another. Now they”re winning again.
Jen Emberson went 3-for-3 and also pitched a complete-game six-hitter, striking out 10 and walking none to lead Middletown past the Upper Lake Cougars 11-1 in a non-league softball game on Thursday in Upper Lake.
The game was stopped after six innings because of the 10-run rule.
Middletown (8-8) opened the season with wins in five of its first six games before dropping seven in a row. Now the Mustangs, winners of three straight, are headed in the other direction, perhaps in the knick of time as they enter the final half of their North Central League I North schedule with a shot at winning a wide-open North race.
Upper Lake (5-7) has dropped five straight.
“The girls didn”t play a bad game, but we”re just not hitting the ball,” Upper Lake coach Kelly Coburn said. “At the beginning of the season we were really hitting it.”
Jackie Lovrin went 3-for-3 with a RBI and Katherine Edmonds went 2-for-3 to account for five of the six hits allowed by Emberson, who blanked the Cougars over the final five innings.
Middletown was minus five starters for a variety of reasons, but the Mustangs, who called up two junior varsity players for the game, didn”t skip a beat at the plate, collecting 15 hits.
“They did great,” Middletown coach Lisa Rogers said. “We”ve got it turned around and I hope we keep going.”
Sara Lofton went 3-for-4 with a double, scored twice and drove in three runs for Middletown. Megan Bartolucci, Kim Nielsen and Kyleen Bouchard added two hits apiece.Two of Emberson”s three hits were doubles.
Weather permitting, Middletown hosts Willits and Upper Lake hosts St. Helena today at 4 p.m.
