MIDDLETOWN >> Middletown’s red-hot roll continued on Tuesday afternoon with a come-from-behind 4-2 North Central League I varsity baseball victory over the Willits Wolverines at Wes Martin Field in Middletown.
Middletown (10-2 league, 11-11 overall) started the season 0-9 but has since won 11 of 13 games, including seven straight, to reach the .500 mark for the first time in 2017. The Mustangs are mathematically still in the league race. They trail Kelseyville (12-0) by two games in the NCL I standings with two remaining for each team, including a Friday contest in Kelseyville.
Willits (0-11) scored two runs in the top of the first inning against Middletown starting pitcher Trevor LaFave, who ended up throwing a four-hitter for the victory. The Mustangs got one of those runs back in the bottom of the third on a wild pitch and then surged ahead with a three-run fourth, all the runs scoring after two were out on a Jordan Fowler RBI single and a Joseph Zell two-run double.
Middletown’s only other hits were a single by Chorjel to start the third inning and an Ezekiel Perez single.
LaFave struck out six and walked one.
In other varsity baseball action Tuesday:
Lower Lake 9, Clear Lake 6
At Lakeport, Reed Diener’s two-run double snapped a 4-all tie in the top of the sixth inning as the Lower Lake Trojans (3-8, 9-9) upset the Clear Lake Cardinals (6-6, 7-10). Lower Lake added a third run in the inning on a wild pitch to take a 7-4 lead.
Both teams scored two runs in the seventh inning. Eric Graves came on in relief of Lower Lake starter and winning pitcher Bobby Cruz to record the save. Cruz worked into the seventh, allowing the first two Clear Lake batters to reach base.
“We fell behind but came back to tie it, took the lead and then held on, which was nice to see,” Lower Lake coach Jim Peters said. “We were hitting the ball and making things happen. We also got back to the .500 mark and have a chance at a winning season, which we haven’t done in years.”
Diener, who finished with three RBIs, was one of four Lower Lake players to collect two hits. The others were Jordan McGrath, who doubled twice and drove in two runs, Izzac Carver, who also had a RBI, and Ethan Watson.
Losing pitcher Cody Rybolt pitched a scoreless fifth inning working in relief of starter Ryan Damiata, but he ran into trouble in the sixth and ended up being charged with all three of Lower Lake’s runs in the inning. Damiata left a 4-4 game after four innings.
“He wasn’t as sharp as he has been,” Clear Lake assistant coach John Garrison said of the senior Damiata. “His pitch count was starting to get up there so we took him out.”
After Lower Lake went up 2-0 in the top of the first, Clear Lake scored four times in the bottom half against Cruz, including a two-run double by Max De Leon (2-for-4) and a two-run triple by Isaac Lewis, who knocked in three runs in all. Hunter Daily also went 2-for-3 for the Cardinals.
Lower Lake is home Friday to play St. Helena while Clear Lake hosts Fort Bragg. Both games start at 4 p.m.
Sonoma Academy 4, Upper Lake 2
At Santa Rosa, the Sonoma Academy Coyotes scored two unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth to snap a 2-2 tie and beat the Upper Lake Cougars in NCL II action.
The loss drops Upper Lake to 3-4 in league play and 9-7 overall.
“We beat ourselves,” Upper Lake coach Billy Santos said of several Cougar errors that led to four unearned runs.
Sonoma Academy went up 2-0 in the bottom of the second before Upper Lake tied it with two runs in the top of the fourth.
Carson Whitfield, working in relief of Upper Lake starting pitcher Pancho Flores, took the loss. Flores moved to shortstop after being relieved by Whitfield and later sustained an injury, according to Santos.
“We’ve already lost five starters to injuries this season,” Santos said.
Individual stats were not available Tuesday night.
Upper Lake hosts Tomales on Friday at 4 p.m.
