KELSEYVILLE — Jake Peters doubled and homered in both ends of a non-league varsity baseball doubleheader on Saturday afternoon as the Kelseyville Knights split with the Arcata Tigers, winning the first game 16-6 in six innings and dropping the second game 8-3 at Lloyd Larson Field in Kelseyville.
Peters” hot bat was a good sign for the Knights, according to Kelseyville coach Lou Poloni, who said the middle of the order has been struggling to knock in the top three guys, John Mark Reagan, Jacob Martinek and John Smith, who have been red hot in the early going.
“We”ve had a hard time knocking those guys in,” Poloni said. “We”re hoping Jake is starting to get going. Hopefully that”s the start of good things for us.”
Peters went 2-for-5 with five RBIs in the opener. He doubled home two runs during an eight-run bottom of the first for the Knights (3-4), an inning during which Kelseyville sent 13 batters to the plate. After Arcata closed to 9-5 with a four-run top of the third, chasing starter Nik Vargas, Peters extended the Knights” lead with a three-run blast over the left-center field fence in the bottom of the inning.
Camillo Diaz worked the final four innings in relief of Vargas to earn the victory. He allowed three hits, one run, struck out four and walked four.
Reagan, Martinek and Smith, the first three batters in the Kelseyville order, went a combined 6-for-12 with four RBIs.
In the second game, Kelseyville staked Peters to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first, but Arcata pushed ahead to stay with a five-run top of the second, some of that fueled by Kelseyville errors.
“We didn”t assist him with making plays on defense,” Poloni said of Peters, who took the loss despite allowing just one earned run out of five total in six innings of work. He struck out three and walked one.
Peters had half of Kelseyville”s four hits, including another double and a home run, a two-run shot to left-center field in the first.
Kelseyville opens its North Central League I schedule today in Willits at 4 p.m.
