UPPER LAKE >> Rincon Valley Christian scored twice in the fifth inning and four times in the sixth to break things open and beat the Upper Lake Cougars 11-1 in North Central League II varsity baseball action on Thursday afternoon at Upper Lake.
Despite threatening skies overhead, only a few raindrops fell during the early portion of the game although a long, low roar of thunder could be heard to the south around the third inning.
“A slight rain fell toward the end of the game, but I never thought they were going to call it,” Upper Lake coach EJ Crandell said.
More detrimental to the Cougars than the unseasonably cool mid-May weather was their own defense, which committed eight errors.
“It’s been killing us all season,” Crandell said.
And it’s the same for mental errors, according to Crandell, little things such as not covering a base on a force play.
“RVC made those plays,” Crandell said. “They didn’t do anything special against us. They put the ball in play when they were batting and they fielded the ball.”
Rincon Valley scored twice in the first inning and three times in the second to go up 5-0. Upper Lake (1-10 league, 3-15 overall) cut the deficit to 5-1 in the bottom of the fourth when Eddie Crandell Jr. singled to drive home Francisco Gregorio-Flores, who had two of the Cougars’ five hits on the day. He also drew a walk.
Billy Santos pitched the first two inning for the Cougars and took the loss. He struck out one and walked six. Cody Rybolt finished up, striking out two and walking five in his four innings on the mound.
Santos and Mike Di Andrea had the other Upper Lake hits.
The Cougars close out their season at home Tuesday against Sonoma Academy at 4 p.m.
