KELSEYVILLE >> Pitcher Jason Gentle was anything but gentle in his dealings with the St. Helena Saints on Friday afternoon as the Kelseyville Knights, two-time defending North Central League I champions, opened a new league campaign with a 10-0 victory in five innings at Lloyd Larson Field.
And while Gentle wasn’t the only reason the Knights (1-0 league, 3-5 overall) won their league opener, you must say he had quite a bit to do with it. The senior right-hander tossed a no-hitter and struck out seven while also going 2-for-2 at the plate with a pair of RBI singles.
“You’re not really thinking about that in a league opener,” Kelseyville coach Lou Poloni said of Gentle’s no-hit gem. “We were swinging the bat and playing well and it just happened.”
The Knights didn’t commit an error while reeling off their 29th straight league victory. The only three runners the Saints (0-1) put on base were the result of two walks issued by Gentle and a hit batsman.
“He was around the zone and I wish he was around a little more,” Poloni said. “He fell behind a couple of times but did a really good job. It was pretty impressive.”
The only well-struck ball against Gentle was a deep fly to left field in the top of the second that outfielder Tyler Linnell hauled in.
Kelseyville provided Gentle with all the support he would need with a four-run first inning. The Knights followed that up with two-run innings in the second, third and fourth. Jason Beck (2-for-3) had a two-run single in the first, Gentle (2-for-2) added RBI singles in the second and fourth innings, and Junior Gonzales (1-for-2) connected on a two-run double in the third.
While Poloni doesn’t have the veteran squad that posted back-to-back 20-win-plus seasons in 2016 and 2017, he likes the mix of veterans and youth on his 2018 roster.
“It’s a good group, we’re young, but I like that we’re trending upward,” he said.
In other NCL I baseball openers Friday:
Willits 4, Lower Lake 3
At Lower Lake, a two-out error in the top of the first inning came back to haunt the Lower Lake Trojans in their league-opening loss to the Willits Wolverines.
That error was followed by a Josh Betts two-run blast way over the left-center field fence as the Wolverines (1-0) grabbed a 2-0 lead. Lower Lake (0-1, 3-3) tied the score with two runs in the second and both teams scored again in the third, the Trojans’ run coming on an Izzac Carver RBI single. Willits pushed ahead to stay in the top of the fifth on a leadoff triple and a sacrifice fly to center.
While Lower Lake did threaten in the bottom of the fifth, putting runners at first and second, the Trojans went quietly in the sixth and seventh innings.
Lower Lake starting pitcher Austin Oranje worked 6 1/3 strong innings, allowing two earned runs, striking out six and walking none. While he was supported by 10 hits, the Trojans struggled to plate those runners.
Antonio Padilla went 2-for-4 with a double for Lower Lake while Gabe Padilla, Vann Wilkins and Joe Boyd added two hits apiece. Gabe Padilla and Michael Taliaferro drove in the Trojans’ other runs.
“We had 10 hits and struck out only four times, so we’re progressing in the right direction,” Lower Lake coach Jim Peters said. “This was a baseball game. We made that one error that really hurt us.”
Lower Lake hosts two-time defending league champion Kelseyville (1-0) on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Fort Bragg 3, Middletown 2
At Fort Bragg, the Middletown Mustangs rallied for two runs in the top of the seventh inning, including a leadoff home run by Jordon Hernandez, but Fort Bragg starting pitcher Garrett James and the Timberwolves held on for a league-opening victory.
James struck out 13 Mustangs while going the distance. He started to tire in the seventh when Hernandez drove a belt-high fastball over the left-field fence. Nate Holguin (2-for-2) then reached on an infield single, advanced around to third on two wild pitches, and one out later scored on Justin McDowell’s groundout to the right side.
Fort Bragg’s runs – two in the fifth and another in the sixth – all scored on Middletown errors. Like James, Mustangs pitcher Luke Holt went the distance, allowing just one hit and no earned runs. He struck out six and walked three.
“That’s a tough way to start league,” Middletown coach Jeff Mielke said.
It also was the first loss of the season for the Mustangs (0-1, 6-1). Fort Bragg improved to 6-2.
Middletown had just one hit through the first six innings, that a Holguin single.
“That game was competitive, on the edge until the last strike,” Mielke said. “We’ve got some stuff to work on and we’ll learn from our mistakes and get better.”
Middletown returns home Tuesday to play Clear Lake at 4 p.m.
Tomales 10, Upper Lake 8
At Tomales, the Tomales Braves beat Upper Lake 10-8 in NCL II action, dropping the Cougars to 0-2 in league play and 3-3 overall.
Upper Lake also lost to Credo 11-2 on Tuesday in its league opener at Rohnert Park.
Game statistics were not reported for either game.
The Cougars are off next week for spring break and return to action April 10 at home against St. Vincent.
