KELSEYVILLE — When the 2021 season opened, the Kelseyville Knights had trouble scoring a run. Those days are long gone.
Behind an 18-hit barrage Tuesday, the Knights made quick work of the Lower Lake Trojans, 19-0, in a North Central League I varsity baseball game called after five innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.
Winning pitcher Justin Gentle and younger brother Joey Gentle combined on a two-hitter and faced just two batters over the minimum. Of Lower Lake’s four baserunners — two reached on hits, two on walks — one was erased on a double play and another was picked off.
“We’re rolling at the right time,” Kelseyville head coach Billy Shaul said. “Now we just need to keep it going.”
Since losing their first two league games, the Knights have won three straight and four of their last five, and the only loss was a 2-1 heartbreaker at Fort Bragg where the Timberwolves scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to pull out the victory.
While the Knights (4-3 league, 4-6 overall) have done well in the pitching and defense departments through their first 10 games, the star of late has been the offense.
“Which is good to see,” Shaul said.
Eight different Knights had hits on Tuesday and everyone in the starting lineup reached base at least once.
“We hit the ball well and even some of our outs were loud,” Shaul said.
Jeremy Brown (4-for-4) and Chase Larsen (3-for-3) had perfect days at the plate. Brown drove in four runs and Larsen three. Brandon Garcia added three more hits and drove in two runs.
Kelseyville scored in every inning, including a nine-run bottom of the fourth.
Justin Gentle worked the first four innings for the victory, allowing Lower Lake’s only two hits while striking out six and walking one. Joey Gentle struck out one and walked on in the top of the fifth.
Lower Lake individual statistics were not reported. The Trojans are 1-6 in league and 1-8 overall.
Both teams open the second half of their league schedule Friday at home. The Knights host Cloverdale (5-2) and the Trojans take on the Middletown Mustangs (4-2). First pitch at both locations is 4 p.m.
In other baseball action Tuesday:
Upper Lake 28, Tomales 2 (5 inn.)
At Tomales, the Upper Lake Cougars won their third straight NCL II game, wiping out the Tomales Braves in five innings.
“That’s three solid games in a row,” Upper Lake head coach Brian Milhaupt said. “We’re headed in the right direction.”
The Cougars improved to 4-2 in league play and are now 4-3 overall, the first time they’ve been above .500 this season.
“We hit the ball solid all day,” Milhaupt said of the Cougars’ 25 hits, five of them from Rocco Bassignani (5-for-6, 3 RBIs) and three each from Bradley Sneathen (3-for-6, triple, 3 RBIs), Johnny Gozony (3-for-4, double, 2 RBIs) and Cody Banks (3-for-3, double, 3 RBIs). “If we can keep this up we’re going to be hard to beat.”
Winning pitcher Diego Velasco went the distance, throwing 77 pitches, 56 for strikes. He struck out eight and walked one. Velasco allowed two unearned runs in the bottom of the first as Tomales took a brief 2-1 lead. Upper Lake went ahead to stay with a four-run second inning followed by a five-run third, a seven-run fourth, and an 11-run fifth.
“Having Diego back in the lineup was huge for us,” Milhaupt said of Velasco, who had a breakout sophomore season in 2019. He got off to a slow start this season because of an injury and was limited to pitching duty only until Tuesday when he went 2-for-3 with a double and five RBIs.
Jonathon Thiessen reached base six times for the Cougars with a single and five walks.
“Their confidence is really starting to go through the roof,” Milhaupt said of the Cougars.
Upper Lake hits the road Thursday to play Anderson Valley in Boonville at 4 p.m.
Fort Bragg 7, Clear Lake 4
At Fort Bragg, the Clear Lake Cardinals opened up a 4-1 lead but ended up losing to the Fort Bragg Timberwolves to close out the first half of league play at 4-3 in the NCL I standings and 5-8 overall.
“We had them right where they need to be, but they fought back,” Clear Lake head coach Ed Pepper said of the Timberwolves.
Fort Bragg scored three times in the bottom of the fourth to pull into a 4-4 tie, pushed ahead with a run in the fifth, and added two insurance runs in the sixth.
Reliever Justin Williams, the second of three Clear Lake pitchers, ended up taking the loss. Ethan Maize started the game, his first appearance on the mound this season, and Maddox Albaum finished up.
Maize got off to a bit of a rocky start, hitting two Fort Bragg batters in the bottom of the first inning, which created some friction between the two teams, according to Pepper.
“There were some comments made,” Pepper said. “It was a pretty intense game.”
When Maize led off the top of the second, the Fort Bragg pitcher hit him.
“The umpire warned both teams at that point,” Pepper said. “He said he didn’t want to see any more of this. After that, everything was fine.
“We weren’t trying to hit their guys,” Pepper said. “It was his first game of the season and I thought he did pretty well.”
Maize exited after three innings with a 2-1 lead.
Clear Lake starts the second half of its league schedule Friday in Willits against the winless Wolverines (0-7) at 4 p.m.
“We’ve got to get our game back and come out and play some good, hard baseball,” Pepper said of the Cardinals, who have dropped two straight.
St. Helena 5, Middletown 4 (8 inn.)
At St. Helena, the St. Helena Saints scored in the bottom of the eighth to walk off with a win over the Middletown Mustangs.
St. Helena improves to 4-2 in the NCL I standings with the win while Middletown finishes the first half of league play at 4-3. The Mustangs are 8-6 overall.
No other game details were available.
Middletown hosts Lower Lake (1-6, 1-8) on Friday at 4 p.m.
