UPPER LAKE — St. Vincent broke open a close game with an eight-run third inning and beat the Upper Lake Cougars 11-1 in the North Central League I South opener for both of these varsity baseball teams on Tuesday in Upper Lake.
Upper Lake (0-1, 5-3) hadn”t played a game in 20 days because of a combination of rainouts and spring break.
“It was like we were starting all over again,” Upper Lake coach Jim Green said.
Upper Lake closed to 3-1 in the bottom of the third on Lance McCloud”s RBI single. Losing pitcher Gerald Thomas struck out the first batter he faced in the top of the fourth, but the Mustangs went on to score eight times. They pounded out six of their 11 hits in the inning.
“That eight-run inning killed us,” Green said.
Brandon Bills doubled leading of the bottom of the first for Upper Lake and later scored in the third on McCloud”s single.
The game was called after five innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.
Upper Lake”s Billy Armstrong made a diving catch in center field during the Mustangs” eight-run inning, temporarily halting the damage that would follow.
In other baseball action Tuesday:
Middletown 11, St. Helena 3
At St. Helena, Daniel Sallee went 3-for-3 with a RBI and Brett Humphrey went 2-for-4 with a RBI and three runs out of the No. 7 slot in the batting order to help lift the Middletown Mustangs past the St. Helena Saints in NCL I interlock action.
“My seven, eight and nine guys did a nice job today,” Middletown coach Mitch Tucker said. “They had four hits and four runs.”
Middletown (5-8), a winner of four of its last five, scored four times in the top of the fourth inning to snap a 1-1 tie. After St. Helena answered with a run in the bottom of the inning to make it 5-2, the Mustangs put the game away with three runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth. Both teams scored a run in the seventh.
“We were patient at the plate and it paid off,” Tucker said of the 12 walks issued by St. Helena pitching.
Humphrey reached base in all five of his plate appearances.
Other leaders on offense for Middletown were Kyle Harmyk, who went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, and Dylan Pastor, who went 1-for-4 with two RBIs, three runs and four stolen bases.
Middletown hosts Upper Lake today at 4 p.m.
Softball
St. Helena 10, Middletown 3
At St. Helena, the Middletown Mustangs lost two pitchers to injuries in their NCL I interlock loss to the St. Helena Saints, who led 6-0 after four innings.
Middletown starter Victoria Alessandra sailed through the first two innings but began to labor in the bottom of the third as the Saints broke through with four runs.
“She pulled a groin muscle,” Middletown coach Bob Cummesky said. “She tried to struggle through it, got an out, but then lost everything.”
Reliever Lindee Jones worked the next four innings before leaving the game with an ailing shoulder. Kristy Fiddler finished up, striking out the only batter she faced.
Middletown (1-9) closed to 6-3 in the top of the sixth. RBI groundouts by Jones and Rachel Sutton and a run-scoring error halved St. Helena”s lead. The Saints came back with four runs in the bottom of the inning to go up 10-3.
Of the Mustangs” five hits, Tory Perez had three of them, going 3-for-3.
“She had a good day,” Cummesky said. “She”s figuring it out. She hit three solid line drives.”
Kim Nielsen, a slap hitter, went 1-for-3 and just as easily could have been 3-for-3, according to Cummesky.
“They threw her out twice on bang-bang plays,” Cummesky said.
Shelby Key had the Mustangs” other hit.
