UKIAH — Hoopa pitcher Tatianna Ray struck out the first 10 Kelseyville batters she faced and left the game after six innings with 16 strikeouts and a no-hitter as the Warriors completed a split doubleheader sweep Saturday with a 7-0 non-league victory over the Knights at Mendocino College in Ukiah.
Earlier Saturday the Warriors (13-2), last year’s North Coast Section Division 5 runner-up, beat Fort Bragg 11-1 in six innings.
“We knew it was going to be tough today, we haven’t faced anyone like her before,” Kelseyville head coach Julie Jackson said. “It was definitely a game while they were battling.”
Jackson was referring to a solid pitching matchup between Ray, who was nothing short of sensational, and Kelseyville junior Jayden Paulich. The two were locked in a pretty good duel until the Warriors broke the game open with a four-run top of the sixth inning when the Warriors were able to bunch together four of their eight hits off of Paulich , including RBI singles by Millenia McKindley, Maizey Maloney and Bella Valentine.
“It was definitely a battle between those two,” Jackson said.
Ray struck out the side in the first, second and third innings. She opened the bottom of the fourth by striking out Kat Wheelan before the Knights finally put the ball into play on Debbie Pasalo’s comebacker to Ray.
Paulich gave up an unearned run in the top of the first, the result of two Kelseyville errors, but then settled into a pretty good groove herself. She retired the Warriors in order in the second, including two strikeouts, and worked a scoreless third inning, allowing a one-out walk before getting the next two Warriors batters on a popup to catcher Ari Fossa and a deep drive that backed center fielder Wheelan nearly to the fence before she pulled in the long flyball.
The Warriors picked up another run in the Hoopa fourth on Jewely Bibancos’ one-out RBI single. Bibancos stole second and moved up to third on a wild pitch, but Paulich worked her way out of further trouble by striking out McKindley and getting Renee Doolittle on a comebacker.
Hoopa scored an unearned run in the fifth to go up 3-0. With one out, Martin raced around to third base on a dropped flyball. When Valentine struck out and Fossa dropped the third strike, she threw down to first base for the out, but Martin took off for the plate once Fossa released the ball and scored easily.
Kelseyville (7-7) finally got a runner on base against Ray in the fifth as Morgan Rogers worked the count full. She fouled off a pitch before drawing ball four. The Knights’ next batter, Lilly Wiser, grounded the ball back to Ray, who forced Rogers at second base. Cali Schnabl struck out swinging to end the inning, Ray’s 13th strikeout of the game.
While Ray already had all the run support she would need, her teammates supplied her with four insurance runs in the sixth to put the game out of reach. In her final inning of work, she struck out the side for the fourth time in the game.
Both starters gave way to relievers in the seventh.
Mya Ogo worked a 1-2-3 seventh for Kelseyville. With Ray’s no-hitter still intact going to the bottom of the seventh, Colegrove relieved and retired Mati Mateer on a grounder to third base. Ogo then broke up the no-hitter with a grounder that Hoopa’s third baseman couldn’t cut off before the shortstop fielded the ball deep in the hole. Her long throw to first base was too late. Ogo advanced to second base on a wild pitch but the Knights couldn’t advance her. Faith McIntire popped out to first base and Rachel Parker struck out to end the game.
Jackson said the Knights didn’t have a chance to prepare for Ray because Saturday’s game followed on the heels of the Knights’ 5-3 league win Friday at home against Clear Lake.
“I wish we would had a chance to crank up the pitching machine to help get us ready (for Ray’s velocity), but we didn’t have time to prepare. We had to get ready for Clear Lake … that’s a league game and our priority,” Jackson said.
Facing a pitcher with Ray’s velocity Saturday should help prepare the Knights for their next game, a North Central League I contest Tuesday in Fort Bragg where they’ll go up against hard-throwing Timberwolves ace Cassiti Baroni. Baroni homered for Fort Bragg’s only run earlier Saturday in its 11-1 loss to Hoopa. She had a big day at the plate but didn’t have much success against Hoopa’s batters, who knocked her around for five innings.
“I’m proud of the way they played today,” Jackson said of the Knights. “Playing a good team like this shows them that they can complete with anybody.”
Game notes: Paulich struck out six, walked one and hit one … Kelseyville takes a four-game league winning streak into Fort Bragg. A win would move the Knights into a tie for second place in the league standings as Fort Bragg brings a 6-2 record into play … The Knights lost 7-1 to Fort Bragg last month in Kelseyville as Baroni struck out 16 … Kelseyville could face Hoopa again in the playoffs as the Warriors have moved up into Division 4 this year.
