ST. HELENA — Tyler Linnell came through on the mound while Nate Phillips made the most of his two at-bats on Tuesday night as the Kelseyville Knights swept the season series from the St. Helena Saints with a 4-1 victory in St. Helena.
Kelseyville (6-2 league, 9-6 overall) is the only team that has beaten St. Helena (5-2, 9-8) in league play so far this season. The Saints had won five straight since losing their league opener to the Knights, 4-2, on March 21 in Kelseyville.
Assistant coach Billy Shaul managed the Knights with head coach Lou Poloni serving a one-game suspension after being ejected from Kelseyville’s 4-3 win over Middletown on Tuesday. Even without their head coach to lead them, the disciplined Knights projected themselves to the top of the NCL I standings where they are in a virtual tie with Fort Bragg (4-0) for first place.
“Wow, I didn’t realize he gave up only one hit,” a surprised Shaul said of Linnell’s pitching gem, which included five strikeouts and five walks. “He had to pitch out of a couple of jams. He did a good job keeping the first inning small. He buckled down, threw strikes and trusted his defense.”
Linnell also initiated a double play on a comebacker to the mound.
St. Helena scored in the bottom of the first and was threatening for more when the inning ended. Matt Gomora’s RBI single in the top of the second tied the score and it remained a 1-1 game until the fifth when Phillips entered as a pinch-hitter with two runners in scoring position and singled them both home to put the Knights ahead to stay.
Phillips remained in the game and doubled home an insurance run in the seventh to make it 4-1.
“He’s one of our senior leaders,” Shaul said.
Linnell, Chase Larsen, Adrian Villalobos and Cooper Goff also had hits for the Knights, who hit the road Friday to play Lower Lake.
In other baseball action Tuesday:
Fort Bragg 4, Middletown 1
At Fort Bragg, Middletown scored first, nicking Fort Bragg ace Jullian Clavelle for a run in the top of the fifth inning, but the Timberwolves answered with four runs in the bottom half and went on to beat the Mustangs to remain undefeated in league play at 4-0.
Losing pitcher Keegan Cutting carried a shutout into the fifth inning before Fort Bragg broke through, including a two-run home run by Garrett James that capped the Timberwolf four-run outburst.
James replaced Clavelle in the top of the fifth and earned the victory in relief.
Middletown coach Jon Hoogendoorn said the Mustangs’ continuing struggles on offense are hurting the team, which is now 4-3 at the halfway point of the league race.
“We’re not scoring enough runs,” Hoogendoorn said. “We’re at that point now where he have to clean house … beat St. Helena and Fort Bragg in the second half and get some help from some other teams.”
A season-ending injury to Jack Bliss, one of the Mustangs’ top hitters from a year ago when they won the league title, is being felt, according to Hoogendoorn.
“We’re missing him,” Hoogendoorn said. “He’s someone who guys are going to follow into an alley.”
Middletown grabbed a short-lived 1-0 lead in the top of the fifth on a Nico Barrio bunt single that scored Aidan Skinner from third base. The potential for a bigger inning ended when Drake Harbison ripped a line drive up the middle that the Fort Bragg second baseman gloved and turned into an inning-ending 4-6 double play.
Tyler Crudo and Will Aden had the only other Middletown hits.
Clavelle, who did not figure in the decision for Fort Bragg, had pitched back-to-back no-hitters in his previous two league starts against Cloverdale and Kelseyville.
Cutting worked the first five innings, allowing four runs on four hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Aden finished up.
The Mustangs hit the road Thursday to play Clear Lake.
Lower Lake 5, Willits 4
At Lower Lake, the Lower Lake Trojans are winless in league play no more after rallying to beat the Willits Wolverines in a battle of two teams looking for their first NCL I victory.
Lower Lake (1-5, 3-6) escaped the league cellar by scoring twice in the bottom of the sixth to erase a 4-3 Willits lead. Vann Wilkins’ fielder’s choice grounder scored the first run of the inning and Adrian John’s one-out RBI single put the Trojans ahead to stay at 5-4.
Bobby Cruz went 2-for-3 with two RBIs to lead the Trojans at the plate. Joe Boyd, Mitchell John, Izzac Carver and Jake Klein had Lower Lake’s other hits.
“It feels good, the boys have been working hard,” Lower Lake coach James Jones said of the Trojans’ initial league victory of the 2019 campaign.
Lower Lake’s starting pitcher, Daniel Eagle, worked the first 4 2/3 innings, striking out four and walking one.
“Our sophomore did a good job,” Jones added.
Eagle trailed 3-2 when he was replaced on the mound by Boyd, who earned the victory in relief.
Lower Lake hosts Fort Bragg on Thursday and Kelseyville on Friday.
Cloverdale 9, Clear Lake 0
At Lakeport, starter Drake Smart pitched well enough to win only to end up on the wrong end of a shutout loss to the Cloverdale Eagles.
Smart pitched six solid innings and left the game with the Cardinals (1-6, 3-10) trailing 2-0. Cloverdale broke the game open with a seven-run seventh against reliever Darius Ford, who was hurt by two big Clear Lake errors and some well-placed hits Eagles hits.
“Smart pitched a great game, we just couldn’t produce for him,” Clear Lake assistant coach Ed Pepper said of a Clear Lake offense that scratched out just two hits, singles by Ford and Ethan Maize, who was recently called up from the junior varsity team.
“We saw way too many strikeouts and hit the ball at too many people,” Pepper said. “We’re just missing something and we’re trying to find it. When we do, people better look out.”
Cloverdale’s first two runs came in the top of the third inning.
Clear Lake hosts Middletown on Thursday.
Upper Lake 6, Calistoga 2
At Upper Lake, leadoff man Diego Velasco went 4-for-4 with two doubles and a RBI to back the stellar pitching of Armando Santos as the Upper Lake Cougars built a 4-0 lead early en route to beating the Calistoga Wildcats in NCL II action.
“He can start at any position for us and probably for a lot of other teams,” Upper Lake coach Brian Milhaupt said of the sophomore, who was behind the plate against Calistoga. “He’s also played at first base and in center field.”
Velasco’s contributions on offense are nothing new, according to Upper Lake’s first-year coach.
“He’s been doing it all season,” Milhaupt said. “He just keeps getting on base.”
Santos received 12 hits worth of support though he didn’t need that many while tossing a three-hitter that featured eight strikeouts and only one walk.
“He pitched a great game,” Milhaupt said. “He was cruising pretty good there until the fifth inning (when Calistoga scored both of its runs).”
Staked to a 4-0 lead after three innings, Santos wiggled out of another jam in the top of the sixth when the final out of the inning was recorded at home plate.
Milhaupt also credited Jonathan Thiessen, another sophomore, with a solid game in center field where he had five putouts. Thiessen also contributed at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a RBI.
Benat Love added two more hits to Upper Lake’s cause and Russell Gordon Jr. went 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
Upper Lake squared its season record at 5-5 while improving to 4-2 in league play. The Cougars are on the road Thursday to play Tech.
