UPPER LAKE — After giving up seven runs in the top of the third inning, the Upper Lake Cougars found themselves in an 8-6 hole against the Potter Valley Bearcats on Wednesday afternoon during a North Central League II softball game at Upper Lake.
“We had a bad inning and we usually don”t come back from those,” Upper Lake coach Kelly Coburn said.
The Cougars not only came back, but they put up a seven-spot of their own in the bottom of the sixth to beat the Bearcats 16-11.
“We had a bad inning and then they had a bad inning,” Coburn said. “We had some really nice hits.”
Potter Valley had just pushed ahead 10-9 with two runs in the top of the sixth when Upper Lake”s bats came alive in the bottom of the inning.
The Cougars gave starting pitcher Janee Swaney a 6-1 lead to work after two innings, but the Bearcats wiped out all of that with their seven-run third. Swaney eventually gave way to Natalie Karlsson, who pitched 1 2/3 innings for the victory. LaShaye Taylor worked the seventh.
Swaney finished with three strikeouts and six walks in her no-decision.
KJ Taylor went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs and Sierra Fugate went 2-for-2 with a triple and three RBIs to power Upper Lake”s 10-hit attack. Fugate”s two-run triple in the sixth sparked the Cougars” seven-run rally.
Also finishing with two hits were Karlsson, Megan Franco, who drove in three runs, and LaShaye Taylor.
Upper Lake is 5-6 in league play and 6-10 overall. The Cougars are back in action Friday afternoon against Rincon Valley Christian at 4 p.m.
