KELSEYVILLE >> One out away from a five-inning no-hitter, Lower Lake High School ace Shelbie Harris made the mistake of walking two straight Kelseyville batters and reaching Riley Goff in the Knights’ batting order, which is the one player you absolutely do no want to pitch to if possible.
Goff tripled to deep right field to drive in both runners and give Kelseyville something positive to take away from a 12-2 drubbing at the hands of Harris and Trojans on Friday afternoon at Kelseyville.
Lower Lake (2-0 league, 10-2 overall) became the first Lake County softball team to reach double digits in victories this season and one big reason is the senior Harris.
“She’s throwing four or five pitches well right now,” Lower Lake coach Chris Emberson said. “And she has good command of her changeup.”
Harris struck out eight, walked four and hit one. She struck out the side in each of the first two innings.
“She’s definitely the best pitcher we’ve seen so far,” Kelseyville coach Jeff Bour said. “She walked a few, but she does a great job for them.”
Kelseyville pitcher Morgan Profitt also put up zeroes on the scoreboard each of the first two innings before control problems struck in the top of the third. Lower Lake put four runs on the board and never looked back. Profitt finished with seven strikeouts, walked eight and hit four.
“The first two innings were kind of frustrating,” Emberson said. “We’ve been off for almost two weeks and we weren’t swinging the bat well.”
Lower Lake scored two more runs in the fourth inning to make it a 6-0 game and added six insurance runs in the fifth, all of them scoring before there was an out in the inning.
Harris struck out the first two batters she faced in the bottom of the fifth before giving up her third and fourth walks of the day. Goff, the Knights’ dangerous No. 3 hitter, made her pay as the sophomore’s three-bagger broke up not only the no-hitter but the shutout as well.
Azuree Meza went 2-for-3 with two RBIs for the Trojans. Kristen Celli (1-for-3) and Kayla Fox-Sanderson (1-for-1) also knocked in a pair of runs apiece.
Kelseyville is 2-4 in league and 4-9 overall.
