KELSEYVILLE — At least a share of the North Central League I varsity baseball championship belongs to the Kelseyville Knights following a 9-2 victory over the Willits Wolverines on Friday afternoon at Lloyd Larson Field in Kelseyville.
That might be enough for some teams, but not the Knights, who improved to 12-0 in the league standings and 15-5 overall with their 12th straight victory. They also clinched an automatic berth in the North Coast Section Division 4 playoffs later this month.
Simply put, the Knights aren’t in a sharing mood when it comes to the league title this year.
“No, no sharing,” Kelseyville head coach Billy Shaul as the Knights’ championship express zipped past the last-place Wolverines (2-10). “When I was in high school we shared it twice, both times after losing the last game of the season to Willits on walk-off home runs.”
It was Kelseyville’s final home game of the regular season and the Knights honored their seven seniors, including Belgian foreign exchange student Jefke Schoonjans, who worked a walk in the game. Also recognized were Jake Burke, Luke Watkins, Alex Cabrera, Joey Gentle, Andrew Huggins and Zayne Barker.
Kelseyville plays its final two league games on the road next week. The Knights visit Lower Lake on Tuesday and St. Helena on Friday. A win in either of those games gives Kelseyville the outright NCL I title Shaul said the team has its sights set on a larger prize, which is an undefeated league season.
“A 14-0 record would look pretty good on our playoff application,” Shaul said.
While varyin amounts of rain fell throughout Lake County on Friday, Lloyd Larson Field didn’t see much of the wet stuff, at least not during the game, according to Shaul.
“It poured for a few minutes before the game, but just a little drizzle here and there during the game,” he added.
The Knights wasted no time taking the lead. After winning pitcher Jon Dougherty blanked Willits in the top half of the first inning, Kelseyville’s bats went to work. The Knights pushed across three runs in the bottom half and never looked back.
Willits scored two uneared runs in the top of the second thanks in large part to two Kelseyville physical errors and one mental error on a comebacker, according to Shaul.
“Instead of throwing home to start a 1-2-3 double play we threw to second and got just one out,” Shaul said.
It didn’t remain 3-2 for long. The Knights scored three more runs in the bottom of the second to go up 6-2. They added a pair of insurance runs in the fourth and another in the sixth.
Dougherty scattered four hits, struck out four and walked four.
Barker went 2-for-3 with a double and a RBI while Reme Strong went 2-for-3. Tyler Bryant (1-for-4, double) and Brock Barrick (1-for-3) each had a pair of RBIs.
Kelseyville plays Piner High School of Santa Rosa in a non-league game Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Mendocino College baseball diamond in Ukiah.
In other NCL I action Friday:
Cloverdale 20, Middletown 4
At Middletown, the Middletown Mustangs were trying to dig themselves out of an early 8-0 hole and had halved that deficit in the bottom of the sixth inning when things unraveled for them against the Cloverdale Eagles.
A close play at third base led to an argument between Middletown head coach Tyler Holt and the base umpire, resulting in Holt’s ejection.
Troy Taber was called out on the play and Holt didn’t agree.
“The next batter up singled, so it would have been 8-5 (had Taber been called safe),” Holt said. “That call at third base completed changed the flow of the game.”
Cloverdale added to the Mustangs’ misery by lighting up their bullpen for 12 runs in the top of the seventh.
Middletown pitchers had thrown back-to-back shutouts coming into the game, but Holt said it “just wasn’t there” Friday.
“The energy they were giving just wasn’t what it had been the last couple of games,” he said of his players.
Hunter Hartzog started the game on the mound and lasted only 2 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs (three earned). Taber, who pitched a no-hitter last Friday at Lower Lake, fared even worse over the next 3 2/3-plus innings, surrendering 10 runs (nine earned) on six hits while walking five and hitting two. Justin Allred got the last three outs.
Cloverdale scored four times in the top of the second, three times in the third and once in the fourth to go up 8-0. Middletown scored its first three runs in the bottom of the fourth and picked up another in the sixth to close to 8-4.
“They’re a good-hitting team,” Holt said of the Eagles. “They always have been.”
Taber went 2-for-3 for Middletown while Chase Schuster doubled and drove in two runs. Hayden Xavier went 1-for-3 with a RBI and Jacob Urbina was hit by a pitch to force in another run.
Middletown drops to 4-7 in league play and 4-12 overall. Cloverdale is 4-8 and 8-11.
The Mustangs host McKinleyville for a non-league doubleheader Saturday at 10 a.m.
Fort Bragg 12, Clear Lake 2 (6 inn.)
At Lakeport, the Fort Bragg Timberwolves kept their slim NCL I title hopes alive by 10-running the Clear Lake Cardinals at Lakeport.
Fort Bragg improved to 10-2 in league and 12-6 overall. The only way the Timberwolves can still claim a share of the title is if Kelseyville loses both of its games next week at Lower Lake and St. Helena.
Clear Lake travels to St. Helena on Tuesday.
