KELSEYVILLE >> Although they’re a dismal last in the North Central League I standings, the Lower Lake Trojans continue to show up.
Problem is, the other seven teams in NCL I also show up and when they do the show’s over. Everyone wants to use Lower Lake as a punching bag.
Such was the case on Friday when the Trojans lost a tough 2-1 defensive duel to Kelseyville. Noah Lyndall, reprising his 2-0 shutout of Middletown in his last start, stole the show with a two-hit, nine strikeout performance. He also scored the winning run after singling with two outs in the sixth.
Earlier this week Lower Lake was soundly trounced by Willits 17-1.
But losing by one run or 15 makes no difference. They are a gloomy 0-6 in the NCL I and seem to be headed in the same direction — down to the bottom — they went last season when they were 0-14 in league. And that followed another 0-14 record in 2013.
Add it all up and it comes to 44 consecutive league losses on the baseball diamond for the Trojans, who last won on April 9, 2012, in a 10-0, five-inning decision against Willits.
John McCarthy, Lower Lake’s hard-edged but homespun baseball coach, said he knows that losing can become a psychology.
“I’m proud of the way they (Trojans) go after it no matter what’s on the schedule,” he said. “But we have to teach them how to win. It has been such a drought in baseball at Lower Lake. Sometimes they (players) take it for granted that they’re going to lose the game. That’s not how baseball’s played.
“These guys gotta put their heads up and play all seven innings. If you don’t do that you’re not going to win. Baseball is a perfect game played by imperfect players,” McCarthy added.
Typical of the never-quit Trojan attitude is veteran Tony Jones, who has played on nothing but losing teams during his four seasons at the school.
“I think everybody on our team gives it their all,” he said.
Jones, the losing pitcher, couldn’t be described as giving anything less. He allowed only one run and spaced seven hits.
It was a taut 1-1 game going into the bottom of the sixth. So pressured, in fact, that four Knights were thrown out on the bases — including in the sixth when Tony Marquardt attempted to score from third during a rundown. A third straight single by Kyle Ellis scored Lyndall (2-for-3). Ellis also brought home Kelseyville’s first run with a RBI grounder in the bottom of the fourth, tying the game at 1 after Lower Lake had taken a 1-0 lead in the top half on Michael James’ RBI.
“You gotta give their guy a lot of credit,” Kelseyville coach Lou Poloni said of Jones. “He’s thrown a lot of innings and he really kept us at bay all day.”
But Poloni was unstinting in his praise for his own pitcher, Lyndall.
“We’ve needed him,” Poloni said. “We’re not doing a great job of scoring runs. I thought we played pretty good defense and our pitching was outstanding today.”
Poloni didn’t know how that the Knights almost became the team that ended Lower Lake’s 44-game NCL I losing streak. Obviously no one wants to be that team.
“I don’t want to be the team that loses to anybody,” he said.
Right now, the situation looks much improved for Kelseyville, which improved to 3-2 in league and 7-8 overall.
