MIDDLETOWN — Blaine Amos hit a two-run home run in the first inning and Kyle Brown struck out the final batter to strand the potential tying runs in scoring position Monday afternoon as the Middletown Mustangs held off the Cloverdale Eagles 8-6 in a North Central League I varsity baseball game at Middletown.
The victory ends a seven-game losing streak for the Mustangs (5-7 league, 9-13 overall), who last won April 20 at Lower Lake.
“I”ve had some really exciting wins, but that”s up there with a handful of them,” a relieved Middletown coach Mitch Tucker said.
Middletown pushed in front to stay with a three-run third that made it 6-3 in the Mustangs” favor. All three runs scored after two were out and the bases empty.
“We haven”t had one of those in a while,” Tucker said.
Reid Carpenter”s double got things rolling and Michael Davis doubled him home to give Middletown a 4-3 lead. Cody Rains singled home Davis to make it 5-3 and Graham Brown doubled home Rains to make it 6-3.
The Mustangs and starting pitcher Logan Smith carried an 8-4 lead into the top of the seventh. Smith left with one out and two runners on. Cloverdale scored a pair of unearned run on back-to-back throwing errors before Kyle Brown got the final out of the game with Cloverdale runners positioned at second and third.
Smith went 6 1/3 innings for the victory, striking out eight and walking three. Kyle Brown allowed two hits and struck out two to record the save.
Davis and Rains each went 2-for-3 with a RBI for the Mustangs.
