Big seventh sinks Lower Lake
Trojans fall 7-1 at home to T’wolves; Upper Lake, Kelseyville drop league games
LOWER LAKE >> After splitting their first two North Central League I softball games, both going eight innings, the Lower Lake Trojans went to the seventh inning tied at 1 with the Fort Bragg Timberwolves on Tuesday afternoon in Lower Lake.
Fort Bragg went on to win 7-1, erupting for six runs in the top of the seventh.
Cassiti Baroni of the Timberwolves (2-0 league) and Jessica Hernandez of the Trojans (1-2 league, 2-3 overall) were locked up in a pretty good pitcher’s duel until Fort Bragg’s bats woke up in a big way in the seventh. The only walk Hernandez issued, which was an intentional pass, was followed by a RBI double that broke the 1-1 tie. Luci Hendricks followed with a two-run home run to right field to make it 4-1, and the Timberwolves added three more insurance runs before Lower Lake could get out of the inning.
“It all went downhill from there (after Hendricks’ home run),” Lower Lake head coach Brett Doud said. “We held our own, but we’re really young and that’s part of the problem.”
Doud said the Trojans are struggling in a big way at the plate right now, and not just against solid pitchers like Baroni, who struck out 13 batters and walked none.
“We’re not putting the bat on the ball and getting hits when we need them,” Doud said. “You can’t win games like that, especially in tight games.
“But all the credit to Fort Bragg’s pitcher today. She was phenomenal,” Doud added.
Fort Bragg finished with 13 hits to Lower Lake’s three — a triple by Kylie Hartmann and singles by Sam Edrich and Kayla Doud — and while Hernandez did a good job of holding the Timberwolves
at bay until the seventh, she couldn’t hold them forever, according to Doud.
“She pitched another great game and with a sprained ankle,” Doud said of Hernandez, who rolled her ankle during a bunt coverage practice drill Monday. “She really sucked it up today.”
Hernnadez struck out 10. “I’m not mad at the girls for it,” Doud said of the loss. “I’m just disappointed were not putting the ball into play more. I thought coming into the season this was a good-hitting team.”
And there’s really no moves to be made as far as shaking up the batting order, at least not right now, according to Doud.
“I’ve got one sub on the bench,” he said. “I have four players who would be starting who haven’t played all year because of their grades.”
The team also needs a mental toughness it currently lacks in crunch time, according to Doud.
“You have to rise up to the situation in close games, and we’re missing that big play,” he added.
Lower Lake hosts Cloverdale on Friday at 4 p.m.
In other softball action Tuesday:
Credo 2, Upper Lake 1
At Rohnert Park, Credo scored twice in the bottom of the sixth inning to erase a 1-0 Upper Lake lead and beat the Cougars in NCL II action.
Upper Lake (0-1 league, 0-2 overall) scored in the top of the third when Paris Klier (1-for-3) advanced from second base to home plate on a Credo two-base error. It remained a 1-0 game until the bottom of the sixth when the Gryphon rallied to take the lead. A run-scoring groundout tied the game and a two-out RBI single pushed across what proved to be the winning run.
Upper Lake threatened to tie the game in the top of the seventh when Zoey Petrie (2-for-3) reached third base with one out, but the Cougars couldn’t advance her. Petrie was cut down on the plate in the top of the first inning trying to score on a grounder.
Losing pitcher Karlee Zimmerschied went the distance for the Cougars, striking out four and walking four.
“She was solid,” Upper Lake head coach Nick Williamson said, “and our defense played well behind her.”
Zimmerschied blanked the Gryphon for five innings, once working out of a bases-loaded jam.
But the Cougars really struggled at the plate with just three hits. They struck out 18 times.
Upper Lake’s next scheduled game is home Tuesday against Potter Valley at 4 p.m.
Willits 8, Kelseyville 4
At Kelseyville, Kasandra Villalobos doubled home a run and Emily Sandoval went 2-for-4 with a RBI, but the Kelseyville Knights fell to the Willits Wolverines in NCL I action.
Kelseyville is 0-3 in league and 0-4 overall.
The Knights led 2-1 after three innings. Willits pushed ahead to stay with two runs in the top of the fourth and put the game away with a three-run seventh.
Kelseyville finished with just three hits. First-year coach Julie Jackson said her team needs to be more aggressive at the plate if they want to find the win column.
“We have a ton of potential, but we need to see that potential,” Jackson said.
Jaidyn Paulich pitched a complete game for the Knights, but was hurt by 11 walks. She also struck out five.
“She’s battled back from a couple of injuries,” Jackson said. “She wants to play, she wants to compete. Props to her for battling hard.”
Kelseyville visits Fort Bragg on Friday at 4 p.m.