LOWER LAKE >> Logan Barrick didn’t have his best stuff but still managed to outduel Lower Lake’s Bobby Cruz in a good old fashioned pitcher’s duel on Friday afternoon as the Kelseyville Knights shut out the Trojans 2-0 in the North Central League I opener for both of these varsity baseball teams.
“It was a quality road win,” Kelseyville coach Lou Poloni said as the Knights opened defense of their 2016 league championship. “Their pitcher is good and he’s going to beat some people.”
“They played outstanding and we played a great game,” Lower Lake coach Jim Peters said. “This is one of those losses where I can’t be upset. We played hard and so did they. We hit the ball, we just hit it to somebody.”
Barrick, 5-0 on the season, finished with a two-hitter while striking out four and walking two. Cruz scattered six hits, struck out five and walked two.
Kelseyville senior shortstop Kyle Ellis was the difference at the plate for the Knights (1-0, 9-1-1) as he doubled twice and tripled in four at-bats and scored both of his team’s runs – one in the third and the other in the fifth.
“That’s the guy that beat us,” Peters said.
Ellis’ two-out triple to right field set up the Knights’ first run. After Barrick drew a walk, Jonah Lewis singled into left field to score Ellis.
Another Ellis extra-base hit, this time a double down the left-field line, opened the Kelseyville fifth. He moved up to third base on a wild pitch before scoring on Barrick’s grounder to third base.
Both center fielders – Kelseyville’s Dillon Hawley and Lower Lake’s Jordan McGrath – made diving catches to take away extra-base hits. McGrath’s fielding gem with two outs in the top of the first inning cost the Knights two runs.
Eric Graves and Austin Oranje each had singles against Barrick, who had to work out of a couple of jams.
“Logan wasn’t amazing today but he pitched good enough to win,” Poloni said.
Kelseyville returns home Tuesday to play Clear Lake (1-0) while Lower Lake (0-1, 6-2) is off until Thursday when it visits Middletown (1-0).
In other baseball action Friday:
Middletown 6, Cloverdale 0
At Cloverdale, staked to a 3-0 lead before he had thrown his first pitch, Middletown’s Trevor LaFave went the distance on the mound for the Mustangs in their league-opening win over the Cloverdale Eagles.
LaFave crafted a four-hit shutout while striking out three and walking one. He allowed only one Cloverdale runner to reach as far as third base.
Bunching their hits together early on, the Mustangs (1-0, 2-9) struck for three runs in the top of the first, two in the second and another in the third for a 6-0 lead, which was more than enough support for LaFave. The senior threw 86 pitches and also helped himself at the plate by going 1-for-3 with a double.
Ty Chorjel went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs while also stealing two bases. Isaiah Moore tripled and both Luke Holt and Ryan Perry doubled for Middletown’s other extra-base hits.
During Middletown’s three-run first inning, Moore led off with a triple and scored on Holt’s double. Chorjel doubled home Holt to make it 2-0 and later scored on an Ezekial Perez double.
Middletown returns home Thursday to play Lower Lake (0-1).
Clear Lake 16, Willits 8
At Willits, starting pitcher Cody Rybolt picked up the win as the Clear Lake Cardinals banged out 19 hits while beating the Willits Wolverines in the league opener for both teams.
Rybolt pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed eight runs on eight hits. He struck out seven and walked two as Clear Lake improved to 2-5 on the season.
Jake Jackson and Cody Dillsaver had four hits apiece for the Cardinals. Jackson went 4-for-5 with two doubles, two RBIs and three runs scored while Dillsaver went 4-for-5 with a double and a RBI. Max De Leon, Hunter Daly, Isaac Lewis and Isaac Maize had two hits apiece. Lewis also knocked in three runs.
“We were banging it around the yard today,” Clear Lake assistant coach John Garrison said.
Clear Lake plays at Kelseyville (1-0) on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
