FORT BRAGG — Given a chance to get to Fort Bragg ace Cody Ryden early, the Middletown Mustangs settled for just a run and ended up falling 4-1 to the Fort Bragg Timberwolves in a North Central League I North varsity baseball contest Monday afternoon on the Mendocino County coast.
The loss drops Middletown (3-2) into a tie with Fort Bragg (3-2) for second place in the North standings and gives idle Kelseyville (6-0) no worse than a share of the league championship. Middletown and Fort Bragg still have games remaining with the Knights.
“If we win out and get some help from Fort Bragg, we can still finish in a 6-2 tie,” Middletown coach Mitch Tucker said.
Middletown”s title chances would have been much improved had they completed a season sweep of the Timberwolves, who lost 6-5 at Middletown on May 3.
The Mustangs, now 11-9 overall, certainly had their chances early on against Ryden, who finished with a four-hitter.
“We needed to put a number up in that first inning and we didn”t do it,” Tucker said of the top of the first.
Middletown loaded the bases with no outs and ended up settling for just one run on a two-out bases-loaded walk drawn by losing pitcher Saul Preciado.
“My four and five hitters struck out,” Tucker said. “That was huge because I knew Ryden was going to be throwing well.”
Middletown threatened against in the third, putting runners at second and third, but came away empty. The Mustangs also hit into two double plays, the last one ending the game in the top of the seventh.
Fort Bragg scored its first three runs and collected the only three hits allowed by Middletown pitching in the bottom of the second. Preciado struck out the first batter but each of the next two Timberwolf hitters reached on infield errors.
“The story of our year ? not playing defense,” Tucker said of Middletown”s two errors in the inning and four errors on the day.
RBI singles by Ryden, Brandon Freitas and Travis Vichi made it 3-1. Fort Bragg tacked on an insurance run in the fifth to go up 4-1.
Preciado, Bryan Holt and Connor Chick combined on a three-hitter, struck out eight and walked only two.
“My pitchers threw great,” Tucker said.
Chick, Kyle Brown, Andres Fernandez and Jon Tanguay had one hit apiece for Middletown, which had 14 straight North games until losing on Friday to Kelseyville.
Middletown hosts Lower Lake (1-4) today.
