KELSEYVILLE — A solid start propelled the Kelseyville Knights to a 7-5 victory over the Lower Lake Trojans in North Central League I North softball action on Tuesday afternoon in Kelseyville.
Kelseyville (1-5 North, 2-11 overall) registered its first league win under first-year coach Taryn O”Donnell, who said the Knights played their best game of the season.
“Our bats came alive, our errors disappeared, it was great,” O”Donnell said. “It was our last home game and we played awesome.”
Kelseyville had a 6-0 lead before Lower Lake”s bats answered with a run in the top of the fifth. The Trojans (2-2, 5-7) closed the gap with a two-run sixth and a two-run seventh.
Kenzie Gould went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a RBI and Kyra Rudnick went 3-for-4 to power the Knights, who had 13 hits in all.
Nicole Spooner went 2-for-4 with a double and Selena Ledesma went 2-for-4 with a RBI for Lower Lake.
In other softball action Tuesday:
Fort Bragg 13, Middletown 4
At Middletown, the Fort Bragg Timberwolves scored the game”s first six runs and beat the Middletown Mustangs in NCL I North action.
Fort Bragg leads the North with a 4-0 record. Middletown is 1-3 in league and 5-10 overall.
“Combine their 12 hits with our seven errors and we handed them the game,” Middletown coach Bob Cummesky said. “Fort Bragg”s a solid team, but if we can play the way we”re capable of playing, we can compete with them.”
Madi Hicks went 2-for-3 with a double and a RBI for the Mustangs, Rachel Sutton tripled home a run and Cheyanne Horvath went 1-for-2 with two RBIs.
Kaitlyn Swank took the loss.
Willits 21, Upper Lake 1
At Willits, the Willits Wolverines took all the suspense out of this one early, scoring 16 times in the bottom of the first inning against the Upper Lake Cougars.
Amber McQueen and Katherine Edmonds had doubles for the Cougars (2-11) in the NCL I interlock contest.
Baseball
Middletown 6, Fort Bragg 5
At Middletown, Luke Humphrey may bat ninth in Middletown”s batting order, but he was the go-to guy on Tuesday, driving in the tying and winning runs with a two-out single in the bottom of the sixth inning to lift the Mustangs past Fort Bragg in NCL I North action.
Middletown improved to 3-0 in the North standings and 11-7 overall. The Mustangs host Kelseyville (5-0, 13-5) in a North showdown on Friday.
Humphrey fouled off a 1-2 pitch to keep his at-bat alive before dumping a single into right field, scoring teammates Connor Chick and Austin Hunter.
“He did a good job putting the bat on the ball,” Middletown coach Mitch Tucker said of Humphrey. “That (hit) really stunned them.”
Middletown”s final three runs came on two-out hits. In the fifth, Eric Schenck singled home a run to cut Fort Bragg”s lead to 5-4.
Chick (2-for-3, double) worked the final four innings in relief of Saul Preciado to register the victory. He stranded Fort Bragg runners at first and third in the top of the seventh.
“Saul Preciado pitched well and didn”t get the defensive support he deserved,” Tucker said.
Andres Fernandez went 3-for-4 with a RBI and scored twice for Middletown.
St. Vincent 10, Clear Lake 1
At Lakeport, Clear Lake dropped to 2-4 in the NCL I South standings after falling to St. Vincent, which lost 6-2 to the Cardinals on April 15 in Petaluma.
“We”re putting so much pressure on ourselves since losing (Tyler) Beets,” Clear Lake coach Gary Milhaupt said. “He was one of our top hitters, our RBI leader.”
Beets sustained a broken thumb April 18 in a home game against St. Helena.
Losing pitcher Joey Blair went the distance, allowing seven hits, striking out three and walking one.
“He pitched well enough to win,” Milhaupt said.
St. Vincent improved to 3-2 in the South standings.
Willits 10, Upper Lake 6
At Willits, the Willits Wolverines wiped out a 4-3 deficit with a five-run fourth inning and beat the Upper Lake Cougars in NCL I interlock action.
“We walked seven batters in that inning,” Upper Lake coach Jim Green said of the Willits fourth.
Upper Lake (2-13) banged out 10 hits, including two each by Stoney Timmons (2-for-4), Chris Colon (2-for-3, RBI) and Larry Stacey (2-for-3).
Third baseman Alex Castillo went 1-for-4 with a double and a RBI and started a 5-3 double play in the Willits fifth inning.
Jared Wade worked the first 3 2/3 innings and took the loss.
