MIDDLETOWN — Dylan Pastor went 3-for-4 and scored four times and Daniel Sallee went 3-for-4 with four RBIs on Thursday as the Middletown Mustangs breezed past the Willits Wolverines 13-3 in a five-inning North Central League I North varsity baseball game at Wes Martin Field.
Middletown (4-0 North, 10-8 overall) completed the first half of its North schedule with a one-game lead over the Kelseyville Knights (3-1, 9-7), who beat Fort Bragg 2-1 on Thursday in Fort Bragg. Middletown and Kelseyville meet a week from today in Kelseyville, a game that is sure to have title ramifications.
“We”re playing well, we kept the pressure on Willits,” Middletown coach Mitch Tucker said.
The Mustangs had a hard time shaking the Wolverines (1-3) early as Willits trailed only 6-3 after three innings. But Middletown pulled away with a five-run fourth inning and ended the game with two more runs in the fifth.
Sallee”s two-run double highlighted a four-run second inning that snapped a 2-2 tie. He also had a RBI groundout in the first and a RBI single in the fifth.
Winning pitcher Dylan Galusha wasn”t sharp but worked all five innings for the victory.
“He had to work out of trouble a couple of times,” Tucker said of Galusha, who struck out seven and walked four.
The Mustangs, winners of nine of their last 10, committed only one error and made two nice plays in the field. Pastor ran down a long fly ball in the third inning and shortstop Kyle Harmyk made a diving catch to end the top of the second with the bases full of Wolverines.
“It was a great play,” Tucker said of Harmyk”s headlong dive.
