POINT ARENA — Will Henry struck out eight in 3 1/3 innings of relief to record the save in Upper Lake’s 10-9 varsity baseball victory over Point Arena in the first game of a non-league doubleheader Friday in Point Arena.
Point Arena won the second game 9-1 in five innings.
“You can’t complain when you play two games in one day,” Upper Lake head coach Brian Milhaupt said of the doubleheader split. “Winning the first game was huge, it took the pressure off.”
While game two got away from the Cougars (2-2), Milhaupt said it might have been a different story had starting pitcher Kyler Brothers, who took the loss, been able to stay in the game. He left with painful leg cramps in the bottom of the third inning, which put the Cougars in a bit of a predicament.
“We only had three pitchers,” Milhaupt said. “Bradley and Will pitched in game one. We didn’t have anyone left after he (Brothers) came out.”
Milhaupt went with senior Elijah Alvarez in relief, who not only made his high school pitching debut, but his career pitching debut.
“It was the first time he had ever pitched,” Milhaupt said. “He went out and threw strikes and you can’t ask any more of kid who has never pitched before.”
Alvarez struck out three and walked one in 1 2/3 innings, allowing six runs on six hits.
“Point Arena’s top five in the batting order are pretty good,” Milhaupt said.
First game
Upper Lake rallied for nine runs in the top of the third inning of game one to jump ahead 10-4. Point Arena closed the gap in a hurry, scoring a run in the third, three in the fourth and another in the fifth to make it 10-9. While the Pirates were able to nick Henry for an unearned run in the fifth, they wouldn’t get anything else. The sophomore allowed just one hit over the final 3 1/3 innings while striking out eight and walking three.
“That was the best outing for Will Henry of his high school career by far,” Milhaupt said.
Sneathen started and worked 3 2/3 innings, allowing eight runs on five hits with six strikeouts and nine walks.
Upper Lake’s clutch hitting was the difference in the game as the Cougars had three hits in bases-loaded situations, one of those a two-run double by Blaine Rhodes (3-for-5), who doubled in his first two at-bats..
“We played good all-around baseball in the first game,” Milhaupt said.
Alvarez went 1-for-4 with two RBIs while Henry and Sneathen both went 1-for-3 with a RBI.
Second game
After both teams scored a run in the first inning, Point Arena pushed ahead for good with a run in the bottom of the second. The Pirates went up 4-1 in the third and put the game away with a five-run fourth inning.
Sneathen and Brody Petrie had Upper Lake’s only hits. Sneathen drove in the Cougars’ run in the top of the first.
Upper Lake is scheduled to play at Laytonville on Tuesday at 4 p.m. The Cougars return home Thursday to play the Elsie Allen junior varsity team at 4 p.m.
