MIDDLETOWN >> The Kelseyville Knights pulled away late to beat the Middletown Mustangs 9-4 in a battle of contenders atop the North Central League I softball standings on Friday afternoon in Middletown.
Kelseyville (6-0 league, 9-1 overall), the defending NCL I champion, remains in a virtual tie with Cloverdale (5-0) for first place. Middletown drops to 4-2 in league and 6-5 overall, but Kelseyville coach Phil Psalmonds said the Mustangs, whose only league losses are to Kelseyville and Cloverdale, need not hang their heads.
“They are really a sound team,” Psalmonds said. “They played really good defense. Middletown could beat somebody before this thing is over.”
Middletown coach Bob Gunion, in his first season with the Mustangs as is Psalmonds with the Knights, said Middletown did do its job in the field until the top of the sixth when the Knights broke through with three unearned runs to take a 5-2 lead.
“We made too many errors in the sixth and that led to a momentum shift,” Gunion said.
Kelseyville banged out four more runs in the seventh, two of them on one swing of the bat by Tymeka Green, who launched a home run over the fence in left-center field.
“She crushed it,” Psalmonds said. “It was a no-doubter.”
Green (1-for-4) would finish the game with three RBIs. Grace Davidson went 2-for-4 with a RBI and Paige Bour (1-for-4) and Bib Hamner (1-for-3) added two RBIs apiece in the victory.
Sydney Frank went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs for the Mustangs, Jessica Zell went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and Makaili Brown went 2-for-3 with a double.
Both pitchers allowed eight hits. Winner Allison Bryant struck out eight and walked two while Middletown’s Savanna McLaughlin struck out two and walked one.
In other softball action Friday:
Cloverdale 2, Lower Lake 1
At Cloverdale, a two-out throwing error in the bottom of the sixth inning allowed two runs to score as the Cloverdale Eagles (5-0, 8-0) edged the Trojans to remain undefeated on the season.
Lower Lake (2-4, 7-5) was clinging to a 1-0 lead when the Eagles put runners at second and third with two outs. A routine grounder to shortstop should have ended the inning, but the throw to first base was off the mark and it scooted up the right-field line, allowing both Cloverdale runners to score.
“That’s tough to stomach,” Lower Lake coach Chris Emberson said of what was Lower Lake’s third one-run loss in league play this season.
“We played good defense for the most part and Shelby (Sapeta) threw the ball well despite a shoebox strike zone.”
Lower Lake’s run in the sixth came on a wild pitch, the only one thrown by Cloverdale’s Tehya Bird, with two outs and Mikelynn Rowe at third base. Adrianna Illia was at the plate when Rowe scored and Emberson said she really battled Cloverdale’s hard-throwing ace, fouling off several 0-2 pitches before Bird uncorked the wild pitch.
Jolina Gonzales singled with one out in the top of the fifth to break up Bird’s no-hitter. Patti McCleery singled leading off the sixth for Lower Lake’s only other hit. She was then forced out at second base on a grounder off the bat of Rowe.
Lower Lake has four road games next week. The Trojans are at Willits on Tuesday, at Kelseyville on Thursday to begin the second half of league play, and at Chico High School on April 28 for a split doubleheader against Chico and Durham.
Credo 5, Upper Lake 4
At Rohnert Park, Upper Lake scored three times in the top of the seventh to force extra innings, but Credo won this NCL II game with an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth.
The Gryphons had runners at second and third with two outs in the bottom of the eighth when a Julia Mooney pitch bounced off the shinguards of catcher Cheyanne Obedoza and ricocheted into the dugout, automatically advancing both runners.
“It was a heck of game,” Upper Lake coach Nick Williamson said. “Our errors cost us, but we also made some great plays out there.”
The glove work by Adrianna Saldana at third base and Molly McCabe at second base were particularly impressive, according to Williamson.
“Our outfield did a great job, too,” he said.
Mooney worked all 7 2/3 innings, striking out four and walking six. Saldana and Colleen Pulido each had two hits for the Cougars. Mooney went 1-for-3 with a RBI.
Upper Lake is 0-3 in league and 1-8 overall.
Clear Lake 13, St. Bernard 3
At Lakeport, Clear Lake’s 10-run first inning put St. Bernard out of its misery early on and the Cardinals rolled to a five-inning non-league victory behind three hits apiece from Sydney Lawler and Sara Ogden, both of whom had doubles.
Coming off a dramatic 7-6 league victory at home on Thursday against Clear Lake, Friday’s contest held absolutely no drama as the Cardinals paraded 13 batters to the plate in the bottom of the first.
“We put the ball into play and made them make plays,” Clear Lake coach Doug Wingler said of the Cardinals’ 12-hit attack. “We got everybody into the game, got some kids some at-bats.”
Madi Ferguson went 1-for-2 with four RBIs for Clear Lake, now 9-3 on the season. Lily Hill went 1-for-2 with a double and two RBIs.
Winning pitcher Shaelyn McIntire struck out four and walked three.
“We played pretty solid behind Mac,” Wingler said. “It was probably one of our best defensive games behind her.”
Clear Lake has a big game on Tuesday at undefeated Cloverdale. The Cardinals return home Wednesday to take on Middletown.
