MIDDLETOWN >> Easy come, easy go. That was the story for the Middletown Mustangs on Wednesday afternoon in a non-league varsity baseball game against the Healdsburg Greyhounds, one that had a few twists and turns in store for both teams.
After blowing a 7-2 lead and falling behind 9-7, the Greyhounds rallied with a run in the sixth and three more in the seventh to beat the Mustangs 11-9. Healdsburg, now 8-3 on the season, is 4-0 against Lake County teams in the preseason.
“They’re extremely fast and play the small-ball game very well,” Middletown coach Brad Holt said.
Healdsburg faced five Middletown pitchers and scored at least one run in every inning. It was 7-2 going to the bottom of the fifth when the Mustangs began to crush everything in sight. They sent 13 batters to the plate, banged out seven hits, and scored seven times to go up 9-7. But their bullpen couldn’t hold the lead, largely because their defense had a hard time catching and throwing the baseball.
“We committed nine errors (to Healdsburg’s none),” Holt said.
Travis Williams, the fourth Middletown pitcher, was tagged with the loss after allowing Healdsburg’s three runs in the seventh. The inning began with a hit and a walk. One out later, the Mustangs committed errors on three consecutive plays.
“And that was it,” Holt said. “We got excited.”
Ty Chorjel powered the offense with three hits, one a double, and two RBIs. Chris Davis doubled twice and drove in a run while Williams went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Trevor LaFave also had two hits, including a double that led off Middletown’s big fifth inning.
The Mustangs return to action today at 4 p.m. when they host Cloverdale in the North Central League I opener for both teams.
Note: Healdsburg’s other wins against county teams include two against Kelseyville and one against Clear Lake.
