UPPER LAKE — Their five-game winning streak to open the season a distant memory, the Upper Lake Cougars fell 12-0 to the Fort Bragg Timberwolves on Monday in a North Central League I interlock varsity baseball game at Upper Lake.
Since opening the season 5-0, the Cougars have been streaking in the other direction and have now dropped nine in a row.
“At this point, we”re just not trying to get 10-runned,” Upper Lake coach Jim Green said.
While the Timberwolves were knocking around three Upper Lake pitchers for a total of 15 hits, the Cougars managed just two off winning pitcher Cody Ryden, who struck out eight and walked one. Ben Raetz and Cory Barnett each went 1-for-2 for Upper Lake.
The Timberwolves scored in every inning but the fourth. They led 9-0 after three innings and put the game away on Cody Lowe”s bases-loaded double in the fifth.
Losing pitcher Brandon Bills left the game trailing 2-0 after one inning because of a stomach ailment.
There was one defensive highlight for the Cougars courtesy of Armstrong, who was playing shortstop in the top of the fourth when he jumped high to snag a line drive earmarked for left field.
“My scorekeeper put ?Wow” next to it (in the scorebook),” Green said.
In other action Monday:
Tennis
Kelseyville 5, Cloverdale 0
At Cloverdale, coming off its first loss of the season, the Kelseyville tennis team bounced back with a 5-0 victory over the Cloverdale Eagles.
The Knights, now 8-1 on the season, close out their regular season today at home against Middletown at 4 p.m.
Playing an Eagles squad that was missing three players, the Knights won all five matches in straight sets.
In singles action, Moses Kuzu defeated Fred Westenberg 6-1, 6-1 in No. 1 singles; Alex Stempe beat Ben Bosse 7-5, 6-3 in No. 2 singles; and Stephen McQueen defeated Brian Wells 6-2, 6-3 in No. 3 singles.
In doubles action, Josh Alvarado and Glenn Mostin were 6-1, 6-1 winners over Steven Abba and Nikki Bernstein in first doubles, and Monique Santana and Nil Mostin beat Ben Natividad and Jose Torres 6-2, 6-0 in second doubles.
In exhibition singles play, Kelseyville”s Kristyn Bridges defeated Torres 6-4.
The Cloverdale and Middletown matches were rescheduled after the Coastal Mountain Conference Championships (see related story, this page), which were held this past weekend in Ukiah, because of inclement weather last month.
