KELSEYVILLE — Managing only two hits, the Kelseyville Knights had a tough day on the diamond Wednesday afternoon, falling 11-0 to the Fort Bragg Timberwolves in a North Central League I varsity baseball game called after six innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.
Fort Bragg (3-0) brought an early end to the game by scoring six times in the top of the sixth inning against relievers Josh Harding and Brock Barrick.
“I probably should have stayed with (Jon) Dougherty,” Kelseyville head coach Billy Shaul said of his starting pitcher. “He was beginning to tire a little bit and I thought our relivers could handle it.”
Dougherty left after five innings with Fort Bragg leading 5-0. He allowed 10 hits, three earned runs, struck out five and walked one.
The Timberwolves scored two unearned runs in the top of the first and never looked back. They went up 5-0 in the third and that was all the scoring until the sixth.
“They’re a good team, young just like us,” Shaul said of the Timberwolves. “We probably made them look better than they are, but they hit the ball today. I was talking to their coach and he said they haven’t been swinging the ball much (in league). They were hitting it today.”
The Timberwolves broke out with 17 hits against the Knights.
“We made small mistakes here and there and really didn’t help ourselves out,” Shaul said. “We came out flat and got complacent, I don’t know what the deal was.”
Kyle Watkins led off the Kelseyville first with a single, the Knights’ only hit until Dougherty singled in the fifth.
“We had nine flyball outs, most of them lazy pop flys,” Shaul said.
Kelseyville (3-1 league, 5-8 overall) suffered its first NCL I loss and the Knights host Middletown (4-0) on Friday at 4 p.m.
“Hopefully this was a wakeup call for us,” Shaul said of the lopsided loss. “We need to regroup.”
