LOWER LAKE — Kayla Doud went 4-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs as the Lower Lake Trojans built an 11-0 lead through three innings and beat the Upper Lake Cougars 18-8 in the season opener for both of these softball teams Friday afternoon in Lower Lake.
The game was called because of the 10-run rule after Lower Lake (1-0) scored seven runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to open up an 18-8 lead.
“I was happy with the outcome,” Lower Lake first-year coach Brett Doud said. “We played really well, struggled a little bit in the fourth inning with some errors. Overall I was impressed with how they played.”
Winning pitcher Shelby Sapeta, who worked all five innings, carried a shutout into the top of the fourth. She struck out nine and walked five.
Sam Enrich went 3-for-4 with two RBIs for the Trojans (1-0), who banged out 13 hits. Jessica Hernandez went 2-for-4 with a RBI and Sapeta helped her own caught by going 1-for-3 with two RBIs. Kaleigh Mock and Jordan Rivera each had a double and a RBI.
Doud said the Trojans have plenty of depth this season.
“We’re very deep,” he said. “We have players 1-12 who can hit the ball.”
Colene Pulido went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs for the Cougars (0-1), who struggled against Sapeta for the first three innings.
“The kids had a hard time dealing with Shelby,” Upper Lake head coach Nick Williamson said. “We struggled to find our rhythm with the bat.”
Mallory Henry also had two hits and a RBI for the Cougars.
Angel O’Sullivan, the first of two Upper Lake pitchers, took the loss.
Upper Lake is home Tuesday to play Fort Bragg at 3:30 p.m. The Trojans are off until next Friday when they travel to Healdsburg for a 3:30 p.m. game.
In other softball action Friday:
Kelseyville 19, Healdsburg 8
At Healdsburg, Paige Bour hit a grand slam during a six-run Kelseyville sixth inning and the Knights opened a new year with a victory over the Healdsburg Greyhounds.
Kelseyville (1-0) broke the game wide open with a seven-run top of the seventh to go up 19-6.
Winning pitcher Johannah Hellgren pitched a complete game, striking out five and walking 10. She also went 1-for-3 with a RBI and a double, one of five extra-base hits for the Knights, who scored the game’s first two runs in the second inning and never looked back.
M.J. Boardman went 1-for-3 with a triple and a RBI for the Knights, Ryann Taylor went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, and Kassandra Villalobos went 1-for-3 with a triple and a RBI. Bour finished 1-for-2 with four RBIs and also scored three times.
“She hung in there and pitched the entire game,” Kelseyville head coach Jeff Bour said of Hellgren, a junior. “Our defense played pretty good. (Mikaylah) Meyer had a good game at second base.”
Meyer, a freshman, made her high school debut. She didn’t have a hit but did have two RBIs.
Bour, the Knights’ returning senior shortstop, also flashed some leather during the game.
Kelseyville is home Thursday to play Ukiah at 3:30 p.m.
