LOWER LAKE — Cassiti Baroni shut out the Lower Lake Trojans on two hits while striking out 14 as the Fort Bragg Timberwolves won 7-0 in North Central League I softball action Friday afternoon in Lower Lake.
Coming off an 11-0 home loss on Tuesday against St. Helena, the Timberwolves (3-1 league 4-3 overall), defending league champions scored twice in the top of the first inning to provide Baroni with all the run support she would need. They added single runs in the second, third and fourth innings to go up 5-0 and picked up two more insurance runs in the seventh.
Lower Lake (1-4, 2-4) nearly broke up Baroni’s shutout before it began, but Keeley Parks was thrown out at the plate trying to score from first base on teammate Rebecca Theodorou’s double to center field in the bottom of the first inning.
“Honestly, I thought that she was safe,” Lower Lake head coach Tara Downey said of the play at the plate.
The Trojans’ threatened again in the sixth when they had runners at the corners with one out, but the Lower Lake runner at third got picked off the bag and was eventually tagged out during a rundown between third and home.
“I don’t know what she was doing,” Downey said.
Kaitlyn Klein pitched the first two innings for Lower Lake and took the loss. Parks relieved and worked the final five innings, striking out five and walking one.
While there were some bright spots for the Trojans, including improved play by the defense, Downey said the Trojans’ bats remain ice-cold.
“Our is offense is a little off,” she said.
Baroni certainly had something to do with that on Friday.
“Cassiti is really a fast pitcher, probably the fastest in the league and the fastest we’ve seen,” Downey said.
Lower Lake’s outfield defense was one of the team’s bright spots with seven putouts.
“Our outfield defense was on fire,” she said.
Lower Lake plays on the road twice next week — at undefeated St. Helena (4-0) on Tuesday and at Kelseyville next Friday.
