WILLITS — Bobby Cruz drove in four runs with a bases-loaded double and a solo home run as the Lower Lake Trojans banged out 19 hits in a 12-3 North Central League I varsity baseball win over the Willits Wolverines on Monday in Willits.
Lower Lake (3-8 league, 5-9 overall) had five extra-base hits in the victory. Gavin Watson (2-for-3) and Gabe Padilla (1-for-3) connected for triples while Joe Boyd (3-for-3) added a double. Vann Wilkins went 3-for-3 with two RBIs.
Leading 2-1 through two innings, the Trojans broke the game open with a six-run top of the third inning that featured Cruz’s bases-clearing double. After the Wolverines (0-10, 0-15) scored twice in the bottom of the inning to make it 8-3, Cruz blasted a solo shot in the top of the fourth.
Boyd pitched four innings in relief of starter Mike Taliaferro to register the win. Boyd blanked the Wolverines over those final four innings, striking out five and walking two.
“They’re still playing hard,” Lower Lake coach James Jones said of his players, who have three league games remaining, including their final home contest Tuesday against St. Helena at 4 p.m. “It’s senior night, so we’ll start our seniors,” Jones added.
After St. Helena, the Trojans close out their season with road games against Clear Lake on Friday and against Cloverdale next Tuesday.
