UPPER LAKE >> Andrew Von Wal and Jafeth Silva combined on a five-inning no-hitter as the Kelseyville Knights beat the Upper Lake Cougars 16-1 in non-league varsity baseball action at Upper Lake.
Von Wal worked the first four innings to notch the victory, striking out eight, walking none and hitting one. Silva struck out the only three batters he faced in the bottom of the fifth to complete Kelseyville’s second no-hitter against Upper Lake in a week. On March 4 at Kelseyville, five different Knights pitchers worked an inning of no-hit ball apiece in a 24-0 victory over the Cougars.
“He’s a strike thrower and he gets a lot of grounders with his changeup,” Kelseyville coach Lou Poloni said of Von Wal, who is the No. 3 pitcher in Kelseyville’s rotation.
The Knights led just 2-1 until erupting for seven-run fourth and fifth innings.
“We weren’t very focused today and were sluggish early on,” Poloni said. “We’ve got to have a little more juice than we did today.”
The lack of focus was apparent early, according to Poloni, when two players brought the wrong color hats to the field as the Knights donned new orange road jerseys.
“That wasn’t a great start,” Poloni said.
Kelseyville banged out 12 hits, five of them doubles. Logan Barrick went 2-for-2 with three RBIs, Kyle Ellis went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and Noah Lyndall went 2-for-4 with a double and a RBI.
The Knights squared their season record at 3-3 with the victory. They return to action Saturday in Healdsburg at 2 p.m.
Upper Lake (1-3) has been no-hit in all three of its losses this season. The Cougars host Middletown on Friday at 4 p.m.
