FORT BRAGG — After spotting the Fort Bragg Timberwolves a 6-0 lead in the first inning, the Kelseyville Knights battled back and had the potential tying run at the plate in the seventh before falling 6-3 in a North Central League I North baseball playoff game on Saturday in Fort Bragg.
Kelseyville forced the playoff game with a 1-0 victory at Fort Bragg on Friday, which left both teams as NCL I North co-champions. Saturday”s game was necessary to determine which of the two teams would earn an automatic berth into this week”s North Coast Section Division IV playoffs. Fort Bragg (17-6-1) hosts Arcata on Wednesday in a first-round game, while the at-large Knights (16-9) travel to Forestville to play El Molino at 5 p.m. (see related story, top of page).
Kelseyville coach Lou Poloni rolled the dice in Saturday”s game and started sophomore Chris Augon, who didn”t retire a single batter before being lifted for Justin Lilly, who threw all six innings. Lilly allowed the final two runs that Fort Bragg scored in the bottom of the first, but he blanked the Timberwolves the rest of the way.
“There was no panic,” Poloni said of the mood on the Kelseyville bench after the first inning. “The kids knew they had time to come back.”
Kelseyville scored its first two runs on one swing of the bat in the top of the fifth, a two-run blast by Mike DeGregorio, his third home run of the season (tying him with teammate Mike Duman for the Lake County lead).
The Knights closed to 6-3 in the top of the seventh on consecutive two-out singles by Dustin Panos, Blake Panos and Mike Davis, who drove in Dustin Panos. Duman, the Knights” most dangerous hitter was waiting in the on-deck circle when Max Huff hit a hard grounder to shortstop that ended the game.
Davis and De-Gregorio each finished 2-for-3 and DeGregorio had a double to go along with his home run.
“We went 1-3 last week but we battled in every game,” Poloni said.
