MIDDLETOWN — Middletown High School varsity baseball coach Mitch Tucker has a pretty good idea on how to win a game. He also knows how you lose one.
“We walked seven, hit one and made five errors … that”s 13 free bases in five innings and you”re not got going to win many ballgames like that,” Tucker said after watching the Mustangs fall 10-3 to the Healdsburg Greyhounds on Tuesday afternoon in Middletown.
It was the season opener for the Mustangs (0-1).
While rain threatened throughout, it was darkness that caused umpires to call the game after five innings.
“We allowed the leadoff guy to reach base in all five innings,” Tucker said.
Healdsburg used a five-run top of the second to jump ahead 6-0. It was 8-1 going to the bottom of the third when Jake Tucker, son of the coach, lofted a sacrifice fly to deep right-center field with the bases loaded and one out.
“It wasn”t far away from going out,” the elder Tucker said. “He gave it a pretty good ride.”
While starter Logan Smith was shaky in his season debut on the mound, reliever Albert Ruske, the third Middletown pitcher of the game, was impressive in his high school and varsity debut. Ruske blanked Healdsburg over the final two innings, allowing two hits and striking out six with two walks.
Reid Carpenter went 1-for-2 with a double for Middletown and Tyler Holt, Graham Brown, Brad Bologna and Chris Montoya also had hits.
Middletown returns to action Thursday in Santa Rosa against Elsie Allen at 3:30 p.m.
