SANTA ROSA — It”s hard to beat a nine-run inning, one during which you send 14 batters to the plate … unless it”s a 15-run inning in which you bat around more than twice.
That”s what the Upper Lake Cougars did on Monday, battering Rincon Valley Christian in a 25-15 North Central League II softball win at Santa Rosa. The five-inning victory boosts the Cougars” league record to 6-6 and the team”s overall mark to 7-10.
Megan Franco and Natalie Karlsson each had three hits and three RBIs for the Cougars in the slugfest while Sierra Fugate went 2-for-4 with two doubles and four RBIs.
Upper Lake led 10-4 early before Rincon Valley Christian stormed back for a 14-10 lead after four innings. That”s when the Cougars unloaded on the Eagles, sending 19 batters to the plate and scoring 15 times on eight hits, six walks and a handful of Rincon Valley errors in the top of the fifth.
Karlsson, working in relief of starter Janee Swaney, pitched 1 2/3 innings to notch her second win in a row.
The Cougars banged out 18 hits in all to Rincon Valley Christian”s six.
Upper Lake”s final game of the season is Friday at home against Technology at 4 p.m.
