KELSEYVILLE — After giving up the lead in the top of the fifth inning, the Kelseyville Knights scored three times in the bottom half to beat the Fortuna Huskies 8-5 in the second game of a non-league varsity baseball doubleheader on Saturday at Lloyd Larson Field in Kelseyville.
Fortuna rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win game one 5-3.
Behind the pitching of Dustin Thaxton in game two, the Knights (2-2) took a 5-0 lead. Fortuna rallied to tied it with five hits and two walks in the top of the fifth.
Kelseyville quickly broke the tie in the bottom half as Nic Vargas led off with a single and moved to second on Ethan Rohner”s bunt single. Thaxton walked to load the bases and Huff singled to make it 6-5. Zack Bailey”s sacrifice fly and a bases-loaded walk to Nick Rodrigues later in the inning gave the Knights a three-run cushion.
Thaxton went the distance on the mound, finishing with an eight-hitter. He struck out six and walked three.
Huff led the Knights at the plate, going 3-for-4 and driving in three runs. Mike Davis also went 3-for-4, including a double and a RBI. Vargas went 2-for-4.
“I”m pretty happy we had that in us,” Kelseyville coach Lou Poloni said of the way the Knights responded in the bottom of the fifth after giving up the lead in the top half. “I was pretty proud of my guys.”
Kelseyville built a 5-0 lead with single runs in the first, second and third innings and a two-run fourth.
Fortuna senior Joey Forrest was ejected in the bottom of the second inning after running into catcher Rohner twice on the same rundown play between third and home.
“He apologized after the game,” Poloni said.
In the first game, Kelseyville led 3-1 after four innings. Fortuna closed to 3-2 in the top of the fifth, then pushed ahead with two runs in the sixth.
“They came out swinging the bat,” Poloni said of the Huskies, who pounded out 11 hits in game one. “We were throwing strikes and they were hitting them.”
Kelseyville had its chances to mount a rally late in the game but the Knights left the bases loaded in the fifth and left the potential tying runs at second and third in the seventh.
“We”re leaving a lot of guys on base,” Poloni said.
Blake Sedrick worked all seven innings for the Knights and took the loss. He also went 1-for-4 with a RBI. Bailey (2-for-3) and Rodrigues (2-for-4) had two hits apiece.
Poloni said the Knights” defense in the doubleheader was solid as the team committed a single error (in game one) and turned two double plays in each game.
“Our pitchers threw strikes all day and our defense did the job,” Poloni said.
Though only 2-2 through their first four games, the Knights have held leads in all four games
Weather permitting, the Knights host Clear Lake today at 4 p.m.
