CRESCENT CITY >> Del Norte High School didn’t have to do much to beat Kelseyville on Tuesday in the semifinal round of the North Coast Section Division IV softball playoffs because the Knights did a lot of the Warriors’ work for them.
“Honestly it was one of the ugliest softball games I’ve seen in my life,” Kelseyville coach Jeff Bour said after the Knights’ season ended with a 10-0 loss in six innings to the Warriors, who were the beneficiaries of nine Kelseyville errors.
Seven of Kelseyville’s starters committed at least one error.
“It was just awful,” Bour said of his final game as Kelseyville’s head coach.
Fearing that the long ride north — 5½ hours — would be a problem, Bour said the Knights arrived early and appeared to be in good spirits.
“We stopped an hour before we got there to eat lunch and everyone was in a good mood. Everyone was loose,” Bour said.
At least until game time.
A 0-0 game going to the bottom of the second, Del Norte took advantage of five errors by the Knights in the inning, including three straight miscues during one stretch, to take a 6-0 lead. The Warriors added two more runs in the fourth and picked up single runs in the fifth and sixth before the game was stopped because of the 10-run rule.
There weren’t many bright spots for the Knights (17-4), the North Central League I champions this season, but one of them was freshman pitcher Allison Bryant.
“She pitched pretty well,” Bour said.
Kelseyville’s usually potent offense managed just five hits, singles by Bailey Couey, Riley Goff, Maddie West, Grace Davidson and Kailani Brown.
Bour said he is thrilled with all that his players accomplished in 2017.
“There was no doubt in my mind before the season started that we were one of the top two teams in the league,” Bour said. “I know Cloverdale was the favorite going in, but I knew we had a team that could compete for the league title.”
The Knights won 13 of 14 in league play to bring home the school’s first league title in softball since 1998 and its first since the school changed mascots – from Indians to Knights.
“I’m exceptionally proud of the way the girls played and handled themselves,” Bour said.
Kelseyville loses only three players to graduation – Goff, West and Brown – but Bour won’t be back to work with those returning players in 2018.
“I’m going to let someone else take it,” said Bour, who has a daughter – Paige – on the team.
Bour said he didn’t want to discuss specifics about his decision to step down, adding only that he was convinced his decision is the right one.
Del Norte (19-10) draws the winner of Wednesday’s semifinal between No. 4 St. Mary’s and No. 9 Piedmont in the sectional championship game either Friday or Saturday.
