LAKEPORT — Dustin Thaxton allowed just two hits and three baserunners and the Kelseyville offense supported him with 12 hits on Tuesday as the Knights routed the Clear Lake Cardinals 12-0 in a North Central League I varsity baseball game at Lakeport.
Kelseyville”s win combined with St. Helena”s 13-2 victory over Fort Bragg on Tuesday moves the Knights (8-3 league, 9-7 overall) into second place in the league standings.
“As the weather warms up, the Knights warm up,” Kelseyville coach Lou Poloni said of his team”s fifth win in its last six games (the only loss a 1-0 setback at Fort Bragg). “The master plan is to play well at the end of the year.”
While the Knights don”t have a game remaining against league-leading St. Helena (the two teams split their season series), Poloni said Kelseyville”s focus is simply doing what it can to reach the postseason again this season.
“The only thing we can control is what”s in front of us,” Poloni said of his final three league games – against Lower Lake, Clear Lake and Middletown.
Thaxton, 4-2, was never in trouble against the Cardinals. He allowed a one-out single to Steven Edwards in the second inning and promptly picked him off, a two-out single to Stone Phillips in the fourth, and a two-out walk in the fifth. The game was called after five innings because of the 10-run rule.
“A tidy 64 pitches,” Poloni said of Thaxton”s complete game. “He faced just two batters over the minimum.”
Thaxton struck out three.
“Probably the best I”ve seen him pitch,” Clear Lake assistant coach Gary Milhaupt said. “He had great command, great location with his fastball. On the plus side, we struck out only three times, which means we put the ball into play.”
Kelseyville broke open a 4-0 game with an eight-run top of the fifth, sending 12 batters to the plate. Max Huff (3-for-4) had a two-run double in the inning, his second double of the game. He finished with three RBI overall.
John Mark Reagan went 2-for-3 with two RBI, Jake Peters went 2-for-3 with a double and a RBI, and Dalton Gunther went 2-for-3 with a RBI for the Knights.
Losing pitcher Ryan Hodges worked four innings, allowing five hits and four runs. He struck out two and walked none.
In other baseball action Tuesday:
Cloverdale 5, Middletown 2
At Cloverdale, Blaine Amos pitched a complete game for Middletown, allowing just six hits, but the Mustangs fell to the Cloverdale Eagles in NCL I action, their sixth straight setback.
“He had pretty good command today,” Middletown coach Mitch Tucker said of the junior Amos, who struck out four and walked only one.
Middletown (4-6, 8-12) tied the game at 1 on Jake Tucker”s sacrifice fly in the top of the second. Cloverdale scored an unearned run in the bottom of the third to take the lead for good. The Eagles added another run in the fifth and two more in the sixth for a 5-1 lead. Luke Humphrey”s infield single in the seventh drove in Middletown”s final run.
Willits 11, Lower Lake 6
At Lower Lake, Lower Lake knocked out Willits starter Bradley Thom during a four-run first inning, but the Wolverines rallied to beat the Trojans, avenging a 10-0 league loss to Lower Lake earlier this season in Willits.
Willits scored in every inning against three different Lower Lake pitchers. The Wolverines went up 1-0 in the top of the first against losing pitcher Zef Roofener, but the Trojans answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning.
Willits scored a run in the second and two more in the third to pull even at 4, then went ahead for good with a two-round fourth.
Jon Duncan went 2-for-4 with a double and a RBI for Lower Lake (1-11, 6-13) and Aron James went 2-for-4 with a run. Freshman Tony Jones, playing in his first varsity game, went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
St. Vincent 9, Upper Lake 2
At Petaluma, the Upper Lake Cougars went the full seven innings with St. Vincent before falling in NCL II action.
Upper Lake (6-5, 6-9) scored single runs in the third and seventh innings. Losing pitcher Stoney Timmons allowed eight runs in three-plus innings, but reliever Jared Wade limited St. Vincent to a single run in three innings of relief.
Bruce Tucker, red-hot of late for the Cougars at the plate, went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Jeremiah Swaney went 2-for-4 and Timmons went 1-for-4 with a double.
Upper Lake closes out the regular season Friday at Rincon Valley Christian.
