CLOVERDALE — There aren’t many tougher losses than the one the Kelseyville Knights experienced on Friday during an early season battle of undefeated North Central League I varsity baseball teams at City Park in Cloverdale.
Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh with the bases empty and two outs, the Cloverdale Eagles rallied for a 4-3 victory capped by Collin Patterson’s walkoff two-run single to left field.
“It was really a good game, I’ve got to be honest,” veteran Kelseyville coach Lou Poloni said of the Knights’ first league loss of the season. “We are two pretty evenly matched teams.”
Both squads entered play 2-0 in league and 5-4 overall.
Losing pitcher Jeremy Brown, who went the distance, could have just as easily walked off the mound a winner in the bottom of the seventh. After retiring the first two batters he faced on a grounder to third base and a strikeout, he gave up a single and a walk. What appeared to be a game-ending grounder to shortstop followed, but it wasn’t meant to be.
“Their best hitter grounded the ball to our best player (shortstop Adrian Villalobos),” Poloni said.
Villalobos knocked the ball down, picked it back up and had to time to force the runner at second base but didn’t get much on his throw and the Cloverdale runner was safe, loading the bases.
“We got the ground ball we wanted but it didn’t work out,” Poloni said. “He (Villalobos) had a great game at shortstop up to that point, like normal. It just didn’t happen.”
With his closer unavailable to him and his next-best pitcher also unavailable because he pitched on Tuesday, Poloni stuck with Brown who forced home a run with a walk to make it 3-2.
The next Cloverdale batter, Patterson, hit Brown’s first pitch into left field for a game-winning single.
Kelseyville took a 2-0 lead in the top of third. Cloverdale closed to 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth, but the Knights got that run back in the top of the fifth to go up 3-1.
“We had some chances to add on,” Poloni said. “Hopefully we learned a lesson.”
Brown allowed 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings, struck out three and walked three. Other than the Villalobos error, Poloni said the Knights were rock-solid on defense again.
“We turned a double play and played really good defense,” he said.
Villalobos went 2-for-4 with a double and a RBI to lead the Knights at the plate, and Nathan Phillips went 1-for-3 with a double and a RBI. Kelseyville’s other hits went to Cooper Goff, Chase Larsen and Nate Meyer.
Weather permitting, the Knights return home Tuesday to play Willits at 4 p.m.
In other baseball action Friday:
St. Helena 5, Middletown 2
At St. Helena, Caleb Jeske and Stacy Nelson teamed up to spoil Middletown’s night under the lights as the St. Helena Saints (1-1, 4-7) picked up their first NCL I win while handing the Mustangs (1-1, 6-5) their first league loss.
Jeske, a junior, went 3-for-3 with a three-run home run to left field in the bottom of the second inning that staked the Saints to a 4-0 lead. Nelson, a sophomore, pitched a complete game and took a shutout into the seventh inning when the Mustangs scratched out two unearned runs.
Jeske, the Saints’ leadoff hitter, is batting .538 through their first 11 games. It was his first home run of the season but his third three-hit game.
“Too many mistakes,” Middletown coach Jon Hoogendoorn said. “And the consistency with some of our guys and our batters isn’t panning out.”
Cameron Luis went 2-for-2 and Jon Hoogendoorn Jr. went 2-for-3 to account for four of Middletown’s six hits. Drake Harbison and Will Aden added singles.
Losing pitcher Keegan Cutting worked the first five innings, striking out one and walking two. Aden worked the sixth, striking out two.
The loss ended a streak of nine straight league wins by the Mustangs dating back to last season when they won their final eight games en route to capturing the undisputed NCL I championship with a 12-2 record.
The Mustangs are scheduled to play at Lower Lake on Tuesday, weather and the Trojans’ field permitting. Lower Lake postponed its home game Friday with Fort Bragg because of unplayable field conditions. Clear Lake’s home game with Willits was postponed for the same reason.
JV baseball
St. Helena 8, Middletown 1
At St. Helena, the Middletown JVs managed just three hits in a league loss to St. Helena, dropping the Mustangs’ record to 0-2 in the NCL I standings and 4-4 overall.
CJ Desmond went 2-for-3 for Middletown and Hunter Blair doubled for the Mustangs’ only other hit.
Bryan Riel was the losing pitcher.
“They just hit ’em where we weren’t tonight,” Middletown coach Chris Dubois said. “Their pitcher was really good and threw a complete game.”
