KELSEYVILLE >> Two-time defending North Central League I varsity baseball champion Kelseyville got off to what you might call a good start on Wednesday against visiting Upper Lake in a non-league game at Lloyd Larson Field.
Four Kelseyville pitchers combined on a no-hitter while Knights leadoff hitter Adrian Villalobos led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run to deep left field as Kelseyville shut the Cougars 13-0 in a game called after four and a half innings because of the 10-run rule.
With threatening skies overhead, the Knights beat the Cougars as well as the rain in their 2018 season opener. Even so, Kelseyville head coach Lou Poloni said his squad is a long way from where it needs to be if it plans on winning a third straight league title.
“We played all right, but there’s a lot of stuff we need to work on,” Poloni said. “It’s just the little things that irritate you.”
Villalobos, a holdover from Kelseyville’s title runs in 2016 and 2017 even though he’s just a junior, launched a shot well over the fence in left field to give the Knights the only run they would need to win the game.
“It was gone, he juiced it,” Poloni said of Villalobos’ shot, which bounced into a driveway beyond Park Street, which borders the field. “It was a fairly deep drive.”
Losing pitcher Dalton Slater struck out each of the next three batters, but on the third strikeout that should have ended the inning, the catcher dropped the ball for an error, allowing the batter to reach safely and the inning to continue. Kelseyville went on to score five more runs before Slater got the final out with his fourth strikeout.
“You don’t see four strikeouts in an inning very often,” Poloni said.
Winning pitcher Jason Gentle, another holdover from last year’s championship team, worked two quick and effective innings, striking out four and walking none while throwing only 19 pitches.
“He threw first-strike pitches to all six of the guys he faced,” Poloni said. “He’s sneaky fast, not overpowering, but he trusts his stuff.”
Following Gentle to the mound were, in order, Nate Phillips, Steve Sprague and Kyle Ashworth, all of them throwing one inning.
The closest Upper Lake came to a hit was in the top of the fifth when the Cougars’ leadoff man hit a long flyball to left field that Tyler Linnell nearly misjudged as he made a running catch.
“Tyler Linnell made a nice running catch going back (toward the fence),” Poloni said.
Villalobos finished with three hits and three RBIs. He was a double shy of hitting for the cycle. Cooper Goff hit a two-run single in the first inning for the Knights and Ashworth added a two-run single during Kelseyville’s three-run second inning.
Weather permitting, Upper Lake travels to Lower Lake on Friday for a 3:30 p.m. game while Kelseyville is home again on Saturday to face McKinleyville in a doubleheader scheduled to start at 11 a.m.
