KELSEYVILLE — Zayne Barker pitched what should have been four scoreless innings against Justin-Siena High School of Napa on Saturday afternoon as the Kelseyville Knights opened the 2022 baseball season with a 20-2 non-league loss to the Braves at Lloyd Larson Field.
“He should have been out of that first inning without a run being scored against him,” Kelseyville head coach Billy Shaul said of Barker, one of only a handful of veterans on a Knights squad that started only one senior, four juniors, three freshmen and one sophomore against the Braves.
Barker retired two of the first three batters he faced in the top of the first inning, but with two outs and a Braves runner at second base, Kelseyville dropped a flyball for an error that opened the gates for a seven-run inning. All of those runs were unearned. Barker went on to throw scoreless, second, third and fourth innings during his four-inning stint. He struck out three and walked one.
“He did great,” Shaul said of Barker, who was charged with the loss. “He threw well enough to pitch seven. Even with that first inning, he threw only 80 pitches.”
Justin-Siena broke the game wide open against four Kelseyville relievers who combined to work the final three innings, walking seven. The Braves put up five runs in the fifth, five more in the sixth, and three in the seventh.
“We’re young and we made a lot of young-team-type mistakes,” Shaul said of the Knights’ six physical errors.
Kelseyville broke up the shutout with a two-run bottom of the seventh as Colin Jensen singled home both of the Knights’ runs.
Jake Keithly went 2-for-4 for the Knights, who started 0-5 last season, Shaul’s first as head coach, but went on to win nine of their final 12 to post a winning record.
“Justin-Siena, that’s a pretty darn good team with a tough lineup,” Shaul said.
The Braves (2-0) were playing their second road game in as many days. They opened their season Friday with a 11-2 win over Piner in Santa Rosa.
Kelseyville is home Wednesday to play Healdsburg and on the road Friday against Colusa.
