MIDDLETOWN >> Adrian Villalobos came up with the big hit both teams were desperately looking for on Friday afternoon, and winning pitcher Jason Gentle pitched a five-hitter as the Kelseyville Knights turned back the Middletown Mustangs 5-1 in a North Central League I varsity baseball battle at Wes Martin Field.
In a game where both teams combined to strand 17 runners in the first three innings, it was a clutch two-out, two-run single by Villalobos in the top of the fourth that ignited a four-run Kelseyville uprising.
Three walks issued by Middletown starting pitcher Luke Holt loaded the bases with two outs in the fourth. Villalobos worked the count full and fouled off several pitchers before slapping a single into right field to score two runs and give the Knights a 2-1 lead. A throwing error on the play brought home another run, then Gentle (2-for-3, 2 RBIs) helped his own cause with a RBI single to make it 4-1.
“It was a really long, great at-bat,” Kelseyville coach Lou Poloni said of Villalobos’ battle with Holt. “There were a lot of foul balls before he singled. It was kind of coming down to who could get that big hit and it turned out to be Adrian.”
Middletown (4-2 league, 10-3 overall) jumped ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the third.
“We needed a shutdown inning after we scored,” Middletown coach Jeff Mielke said. “All those walks hurt us a little bit. He (Villalobos) got the hit we were looking for but couldn’t get.”
Coming off a rough loss to league leader Fort Bragg on Tuesday, a game during which the visiting Timberwolves (5-1) scored six times in the bottom of the sixth inning to beat the Knights 8-6, Kelseyville (5-2, 7-7) didn’t come close to letting this one slip away.
“He (Gentle) faced only one batter over the minimum the last three innings,” Poloni said.
Gentle struck out five and walked two.
Kelseyville picked up an insurance run in the top of the fifth when Junior Gonzales led off the inning with a solo home run to center field.
With three teams – Fort Bragg, Kelseyville and Middletown – within a game of each other in the standings as the league race nears the halfway mark, Poloni said the league title is completely up for grabs.
“I’m really impressed with our league,” Poloni said. “We had three teams reach the playoffs a year ago when I thought the league was tough, but it’s tougher this year. I wouldn’t be surprised if five got in this year.”
Holt worked 4 2/3 innings for Middletown before giving way to Keegan Cutting.
“We just need to keep winning the games in front of us,” Mielke said.
Middletown faces another key matchup Tuesday when it hosts Fort Bragg. Kelseyville opens the second half of its league schedule at St. Helena.
In other baseball action Friday:
Fort Bragg 11, Clear Lake 1
At Lakeport, Fort Bragg broke open a 2-1 pitcher’s duel through five innings with a five-run sixth and a four-run seventh.
“I don’t think we played that a bad a game,” Clear Lake assistant coach John Garrison said. “They (Timberwolves) just hit the ball. They squared it, they’re no joke.”
Fort Bragg scored its first two runs in the top of the fourth against Clear Lake starter Darius Ford, who worked an effective five-plus innings.
“He was really good,” Garrison said. “We weren’t going to pitch him that much but he did such a nice job we let him go a little longer.”
Ford allowed two runs on five hits, struck out three and walked two before giving way to reliever Preston Jones in the sixth. Isaac Lewis finished up on the mound.
Clear Lake (2-5, 5-7) cut Fort Bragg’s lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth on Brady McGuire’s RBI groundout.
Cloverdale 15, Lower Lake 5
At Cloverdale, Lower Lake scored five times in the top of the second to take a 5-1 lead, but the Cloverdale Eagles rallied to win the game in six innings.
Cloverdale (4-3) wiped out the Trojans’ early lead with a run in the third and four more in the fourth to go up 6-5. The Eagles kept on scoring, pushing three runs across the plate in the fifth and another six in the sixth inning, at which point the game was called because of the 10-run mercy rule.
“We got out-hit today,” Lower Lake coach Jim Peters said as the Trojans slipped to 1-5 in NCL I play and 4-8 overall. “After the third inning, they really started hitting the ball.”
Izzac Carver, the second of three Lower Lake pitchers, took the loss. Joe Boyd went 1-for-2 with a double and Bobby Cruz went 1-for-2 with a RBI.
Lower Lake travels to Willits on Tuesday.
RVC 3, Upper Lake 1
At Upper Lake, the Upper Lake Cougars left the potential tying runs in scoring position in the bottom of the seventh inning as Rincon Valley Christian held on for a win in NCL II action.
Upper Lake remains winless in league play at 0-6 and is now 3-7 overall.
Armando Santos’ sacrifice bunt drove in Upper Lake’s lone run to tie the score at 1 in the bottom of the third inning. It remained a 1-1 game until Rincon Valley Christian scored twice in the top of the sixth against losing pitcher Darren Swaney, who was working in relief of starter Diego Velasco.
Dalton Slater had a triple for one of Upper Lake’s hits and Eddie Crandell doubled.
Upper Lake is home Tuesday against Tomales.
JV baseball
Middletown 7, Kelseyville 0
At Middletown, Jimmy Rockwell and Cameron Luis combined on a no-hitter as the undefeated Middletown junior varsity baseball team shut out the Kelseyville Knights.
Rockwell worked five hitless innings for the victory, striking out six and walking one. Luis completed the no-hitter with two innings of solid relief.
Kelseyville’s only two baserunners during the game were a result of a walk issued by Rockwell in the top of the third and a hit batsman charged to Luis in the sixth. Neither runner advanced past first base.
Tyler Crudo went 2-for-3 with two RBIs for the Mustangs, now 4-0 in the NCL I standings and 13-0 overall. Nico Barrio went 1-for-3 with a double and Tanner Pachie went 1-for-3 with a RBI.
Fort Bragg 7, Clear Lake 0
At Fort Bragg, Ryan Ollenberger had two of Clear Lake’s four hits in a league loss to the Fort Bragg Timberwolves, who broke the NCL I game open with a four-run sixth.
Liam Wayment doubled and Justin Hiatt singled for Clear Lake’s other hits.
Losing pitcher Colby Krul worked 5 1/3 innings, striking out two and walking four.
Clear Lake is 1-4 in league and 4-6 overall.
