LOWER LAKE — With just a little bit of luck — as in good — the Lower Lake Trojans could be 2-0 and atop the North Central League I North varsity baseball standings.
And with a little bit of luck — as in bad — they could have walked off the field Monday against the Willits Wolverines with an 0-2 mark and dead last in the league standings.
Instead they”re 1-1 and very much alive in the North race after beating the Wolverines 5-4 in an 11-inning marathon at Lower Lake, where Jesus Fonseca”s RBI single to deep right-center field with two outs in the 11th scored teammate Brandon Sparks all the way from first base.
“To have a game like that, you can”t really put it into words,” Lower Lake coach Joe Mattos said. “I couldn”t be more proud of these guys if I tried. They just kept fighting and fighting and fighting.”
Sparks was hit by a pitch after two were out in the bottom of the 11th. Fonseca (3-for-6) followed with a blast into the gap. He didn”t advance past first base as Sparks raced home without a throw.
Fonseca also pitched the first seven innings for Lower Lake, now 3-7 overall. He was three outs away from being the winning pitcher until the Wolverines (1-2) scored twice in the top of the seventh, tying the game at 4 and sending it into extra innings.
Stephen Whitcomb relieved and worked the final four innings for the victory, allowing no runs, striking out five and walking none. He stayed in the game even after taking a line drive off his hip in the top of the 10th.
“He”s got a big bruise,” Mattos said. “He worked hard and wouldn”t give up. He kept throwing and throwing.”
Willits grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Lower Lake closed to 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth and then pushed ahead 4-2 in the fifth.
Joe Winans went 3-for-6 with a double and two RBIs for Lower Lake and Joe Riggs, George Novak and Kyle Buckingham added two hits apiece.
Buckingham caught all 11 innings.
“As a catcher to go 11 innings … that just says so much,” Mattos said.
Lower Lake returns to action Wednesday at home against St. Vincent in NCL I interlock action. The Trojans resume their North schedule on Friday in Middletown at 4 p.m.
