MIDDLETOWN — Jen Emberson pitched a three-hitter and battery mate Kayla Dilks went 4-for-4 with four RBIs on Wednesday as the Middletown Mustangs clinched a tie for the North Central League I North softball title with a 14-2 five-inning victory over the Lower Lake Trojans at Middletown High School.
Middletown (6-2 North, 12-9 overall) now has to wait and see what happens to the Fort Bragg Timberwolves (4-2), who travel to Willits today and then return home Friday to play Kelseyville. If Fort Bragg wins both games to earn the other half of the league title, Middletown and Fort Bragg will hold a one-game playoff on Saturday in Fort Bragg to determine who gets the league”s automatic postseason berth in next week”s North Coast Section Division IV playoffs.
If Fort Bragg loses to either Willits or Kelseyville, Middletown wins the outright North championship and automatically advances to the playoffs.
“If we have to go over there and play Fort Bragg, that”s fine with me,” Middletown coach Lisa Rogers said of a potential playoff Saturday with the Timberwolves.
The two teams split their regular-season meetings, each winning on the other”s home field.
Middletown will apply for an at-large berth if it isn”t the North”s automatic representative in the sectional playoffs.
Rogers said she like the Mustangs” chances either way considering their red-hot ways of late — they”ve won four in a row and seven of eight. She said the turning point for the Mustangs was a 6-5 win over Kelseyville on April 24 in Kelseyville.
“They”re playing the best ball I”ve seen them play this season,” Rogers said. “Today was a perfect game. Hitting, fielding, everything was right.”
Emberson didn”t overwhelm the Lower Lake hitters. Instead, she made the Trojans put the ball in play and let her defense work behind her, according to Rogers.
“Jen is pitching the best I”ve seen her pitch,” Rogers said.
Emberson struck out one and didn”t walk a batter. She allowed three singles, one each to Christine Powers, Darlena White and Mirella Valencia.
Middletown added to a 3-0 run after two innings with a six-run third and a five-run fourth.
Besides Dilks, Marea Bartolucci went 2-for-3 and scored twice for the Mustangs.
Lower Lake closes out the season 2-6 in the North standings and 6-15 overall.
