SANTA ROSA >> Lower Lake’s Shelbie Harris returned from a leg injury to pitch three innings against Montgomery High School and received a no-decision in the Trojans’ 6-3 loss to the Vikings during a non-league softball game in Santa Rosa.
It was the first loss of the season for the Trojans (4-1), who entered the bottom of the sixth inning tied 3-3 with the Vikings. Montgomery had the bases loaded with two outs when Lower Lake reliever Ashlynn Mock fielded a hard grounder, momentarily bobbled the ball, and threw home in an attempt to force the runner for the final out of the inning.
“I thought she got her but the umpire called her safe,” Lower Lake coach Chris Emberson said of the play at the plate. “After she bobbled the ball I thought it was our best chance to get the out,” he added of his pitcher’s decision to come home with the ball instead of going to first.
The next batter followed with a two-run single to make it a three-run game at 6-3.
Lower Lake grabbed a 3-1 lead in the top of the second inning on a RBI double by Kristen Celli and a two-run single by Destiny Apodaca. Montgomery tied the game with two runs in the third against Harris, her final inning of work.
“I wanted to keep her at 60 pitches and she had already thrown 55,” Emberson said. “I didn’t want to push it in her first game back.”
Lower Lake threatened in the top of the sixth when Alex DeGraw blasted a two-out triple and Celli walked, but Apodaca (2-for-3) popped out to shortstop to end the threat.
“We played well, we competed,” Emerson said.
Harris finished with four strikeouts and one walk while Mock struck out none and walked one in her three innings of work.
Azuree Meza went 1-for-3 with a double and scored a run for the Trojans, who bump heads with another North Bay League team on Friday when they host Santa Rosa High School at 4 p.m.
In other softball action Tuesday:
Santa Rosa 5
Middletown 0
At Santa Rosa, the Middletown Mustangs managed just two hits while being shut out for the second game in a row, this time at the hands of the Santa Rosa Panthers.
Makenzie Harris and Tabby Johnston each hit safely for the Mustangs (3-2), who were locked in a scoreless game until the Panthers broke it open with a five-run bottom of the fifth.
“Hey, we were right there with them until the fifth,” Middletown coach Barry Glosser said. “We played a great game. I have no complaints.”
Middletown advanced runners to second base in the third, sixth and seventh innings only to strand them there.
“We just couldn’t come up with a hit when we needed it,” Glosser said.
Losing pitcher Renee Edwards allowed seven hits, struck out eight and walked none.
Middletown returns home Friday to take on St. Vincent of Petaluma at 4 p.m.
Baseball
El Molino 2
Lower Lake 1
At Forestville, the El Molino Lions pushed across the winning run with one out in the bottom of the seventh to turn back the Lower Lake Trojans in non-league varsity baseball action.
Lower Lake (2-2) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Deangelo Alexander before the Lions rallied with runs in the sixth and seventh.
Losing pitcher Tony Jones worked six-plus innings, allowing both El Molino runs on three hits, striking out seven and walking none. After allowing a hit to open the seventh, David Rank replaced him on the mound. Rank walked one and struck out one before a single into the left-center field gap pushed home the game-winning run.
“We played a really good game,” Lower Lake coach John McCarthy said. “If we could just hit the ball a little bit better I think we’d be OK.”
Lower Lake’s bats produced only two hits, singles by Jones and Brendan Maninger.
Jones blanked El Molino for the first five innings before allowing a run in the sixth. He worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the inning to keep the score tied at 1-1.
“We came up with some pretty good plays,” McCarthy said of the Lower Lake defense.
Lower Lake returns to action Saturday against Healdsburg at Recreation Park in Healdsburg. First pitch is 11 a.m. Kelseyville plays Healdsburg at 2 p.m.
