UPPER LAKE — Upper Lake High School softball head coach Heather Wurm said her starters needed to play better Thursday even though the Cougars easily beat the Laytonville Warriors 15-5 in five innings during non-league action at Upper Lake High School.
“I’m super frustrated because our starters played down to their level,” Wurm said of the Warriors. “We need to do better.”
Coming off back-to-back wins over North Central League II rival Credo, the Cougars (5-2) might have been overlooking non-league foe Laytonville, a team that posed little threat. The Warriors struggled mightily on defense, especially in situations with Upper Lake runners on the basepaths. They often threw the ball to the wrong base when they threw it all, and a bunch of throwing errors allowed the Cougars to advance at will throughout the game.
The poster child for the Mendocino County team’s struggles came in the bottom of the third when Upper Lake’s Maddy Young reached on an infield single. An overthrow at first base sent Young sprinting to second, and when she made an aggressive turn toward third, a second throwing error allowed her to circle the bases and score.
And that’s pretty much how Laytonville’s day went.
On a more positive note, Wurm was able to empty her bench early even though the Warriors were able to take a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning against Upper Lake starting pitcher Aimee Schaefers, who worked three innings for the victory, departing the game with a 5-4 lead.
The Cougars went up 8-4 in the fourth inning, the Warriors got one of those runs back in the top of the fifth against reliever Ashlyn Wurm, but Upper Lake scored seven times in the bottom half to end the game as the 10-run came into effect once Leyla Marcks’ two-run single made it 15-5.
Fifteen Upper Lake players had at least one at-bat.
“And they all gave me something, they all had a part in this win,” Wurm said of her reserves such as Leyla Marcks.
Schaefers got off to a rough start but settled down before the first inning was over. She gave up back-to-back walks to open the game followed by a run-scoring double and a two-run single, but went on to strike out the side.
Upper Lake closes to 3-2 in the bottom of the first. Back-to-back one-out singles from Ashlyn Rhodes and Ashlyn Wurm were followed by a wild pitch and two Laytonville errors that brought both runners home.
Each team picked up a run in the second, Upper Lake’s scoring on a Tristin Rhodes double, to make it 4-2. The Cougars pushed ahead to stay with a three-run third, the highlight being Young’s “Little League home run.”
Ashlyn Wurm went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored against Laytonville. Tristan Rhodes finished 2-for-3 with a RBI double.
Upper Lake is home again Friday to play Tomales in a North Central League II game. A win wraps up the league title for the Cougars, who close out the regular season next Thursday by hosting Calistoga. Upper Lake’s seniors will be honored during that final home game of the regular season. The North Coast Section Division 5 playoffs open either May 16-17.
