LOWER LAKE — The Middletown Mustangs completed a perfect North Central League I North varsity baseball season on Friday, beating the Lower Lake Trojans 8-1 on the combined no-hitter thrown by starter Daniel Sallee and reliever Ryan Johnson at Lower Lake.
Middletown (8-0, 15-8) has won 11 in a row and 14 of its last 15. It”s the first time the Mustangs have gone undefeated in league play since winning the NCL II championship with a 10-0 mark in 2004.
Lower Lake finishes up the regular season at 2-6 in league and 4-14 overall.
Sallee allowed an unearned run during his six-inning stint and likely would have stayed in the game had Middletown coach Mitch Tucker known a no-hitter was in progress.
“I didn”t know he was throwing a no-hitter,” Tucker said. “I wasn”t looking at the book and no one told me. I felt bad, but I really wanted to get Johnson some work.”
Johnson pitched a 1-2-3 seventh, striking out two, to complete the no-hitter.
“He”s been such a stud for us, he”s done everything,” Tucker added of Sallee, who improved to 5-2.
Sallee also plays third base when he”s not pitching and he leads the team with 24 RBIs.
“He also plays lights-out defense,” Tucker said.
Middletown went up 3-0 in the top of the third. An error led to the first Mustangs run and John Hays” ground-rule double made it 2-0. Eric Schenk”s sacrifice fly pushed the lead to 3-0.
Lower Lake scored in the bottom of the inning on a sacrifice bunt and throwing error on the play.
Middletown added single runs in the fourth and fifth, two more in the six and another in the seventh.
Schenk went 3-for-3 for the Mustangs, who were 1-7 after their first eight games this season. Kyle Harmyk went 2-for-5 with two RBIs.
The Mustangs play their final regular-season game on Tuesday in Cloverdale. After that, it”s the North Coast Section Division IV playoffs. Unless they”re matched with a higher-seeded league champion in the opening round, the Mustangs are guaranteed at least one home game.
