KELSEYVILLE — Paris Klier made all three of her hits count for the Upper Lake Cougars in a 11-0 non-league softball victory over the Kelseyville Knights on Tuesday afternoon in Kelseyville, a game called after six innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.
“It was probably our best game so far,” Upper Lake head coach Nick Williamson said as the Cougars improved to 3-4 on the season.
Klier helped make that possible by going 3-for-3 with five RBIs. Her two-out RBI single in the top of the first provided winning pitcher Lexi Wurm with the only run she would need as things turned out, but Klier was far from finished. She smack a three-run double with two outs during a five-run Upper Lake second inning, and she added a RBI single later in the game just for good measure.
“She just came up when we needed her and hit a couple of nice shots into the gap with two outs,” Williamson said.
Wurm helped her own cause with a RBI double. She went the distance to record the victory, scattering seven hits while striking out 10 and walking only three.
“Their pitcher did a good job of staying controlled,” Kelseyville head coach Julie Jackson said of Wurm. “She also had a nice hit.”
“She had a really good day,” Williamson added of Wurm. “She was composed, and if she walked someone she worked her way back.”
Upper Lake’s defense played well behind Wurm, committing only two errors. That wasn’t the case for Kelseyville pitcher Jayden Paulich, who also went the distance. She struck out six and walked two, but watched her defense commit six errors.
“It’s fun to watch her grow,” Jackson said of Paulich’s progression as a pitcher. “She did really, really good today. We were just throwing the ball around behind her. We’re young and there are just some things we need to clean up.”
The Cougars racked up 13 hits at the plate. Besides Klier, Nataly Velasco, Jordann Gudmundson, Zoey Petrie and Nya Marcks added two hits apiece. Marcks and Velasco also had a RBI.
Kelseyville finished with seven hits, led by Taylor Hansen (3-for-3) and Paulich (2-for-3). The Knights had a couple of scoring opportunities but couldn’t come up with the big hit they needed, according to Jackson.
“No clutch hits,” Jackson said.
Jackson said Paulich’s pitching performance and Hansen’s day at the plate and play at first base were bright spots for the Knights (0-2).
“Hansen did a great job,” Jackson said.
Both teams return to action Friday. Upper Lake plays Elsie Allen in Santa Rosa at 4 p.m. while Kelseyville faces Ukiah at 5 p.m. in the opening round of the Cloverdale Tournament, which runs through Saturday.
