MIDDLETOWN — The pitching was there but not the hitting on Monday afternoon as the Middletown Mustangs dropped their home opener to the McKinleyville Panthers, 3-0, in non-league varsity baseball action at Wes Martin Field.
In a game rescheduled from Saturday because of wet field conditions, Middletown (1-2) managed just one hit against the Panthers (1-0).
“If I could put a finger on it I’d be a happier man,” Middletown head coach Jon Hoogendoorn said of the Mustangs’ batting order, which has been a tad inconsistent in the early going. “To come out that flat was frustrating,” Hoogendoorn added. “I’m not happy with our approach at the plate right now. Guys are doing their own thing.”
Middletown starting pitcher Keegan Cutting drew the start on the mound and left the game after four innings with the score knotted 0-0. McKinleyville finally broke through with a run in the top of the fifth against reliever Jimmy Rockwell, who allowed two more runs in the sixth.
Drake Harbison’s leadoff infield single in the bottom of the fourth against winning pitcher Cameron Saso was the sum total of Middletown’s offense against the Panthers.
“He’s got good velocity and throws a pretty good curve,” Hoogendoorn said of Saso, who could be pitching in Lake County again on Friday against Clear Lake or on Saturday against Kelseyville in a doubleheader, weather permitting.
“McKinleyville … they’ve got a good team,” Hoogendoorn said. “When you hold them to three runs you feel pretty good about it, but we couldn’t do anything with the bats.”
While inclement weather has chased the Mustangs indoors for a fair number of practices this season, Hoogendoorn said it’s no excuse for the team’s lack of hitting.
“Everyone else is in the same boat,” he said. “These guys will figure it out. They’re too good not to.”
Middletown is off until Friday when it travels to Ferndale. The Mustangs play again Saturday against St. Bernard in Eureka, and they stay on the road Monday to take on El Molino.
Game notes: Healdsburg had just one hit against three Middletown pitchers in a 8-1 loss to the Mustangs on Friday night at Recreation Park in Healdsburg … Close games have been the rule for these two teams in recent years. Middletown swept McKinleyville 7-6 and 4-3 in a season-opening doubleheader a year ago, and the Mustangs dropped an 11-10 decision in eight innings to the Panthers early on in the 2017 campaign.
