Windsor visits Rancho in opener, hosts Ukiah on Friday
Preparation will meet opportunity this week when the Jaguars kick off the North Bay League baseball schedule with a full head of steam.
The Jags (5-5) wrapped up a solid preseason campaign last week in the annual A.L. Rabinovitz Tournament, capturing one win in three outings to finish in fourth place.
Windsor opened the Rabinovitz tourney after a one-day weather delay on March 22, notching a 1-0 win over Analy. The Jaguars fell just short in the second day of action on March 23, dropping close games to Ukiah (3-2) and Montgomery (6-5, 9 innings) to settle for fourth place.
Participating teams included Montgomery, Petaluma, Analy, Northgate, Sonoma Academy, Ukiah, Piner and Windsor. Petaluma went on to beat Ukiah in Thursday’s tournament title game, 3-1.
Although effort never shows up in the box score, Windsor’s performance in the Rabinovitz tourney was further validation that the team will be battle tested and ready for the start of league.
“The ball didn’t bounce our way on the second day (of the tournament) but we’re playing good, clean baseball,” Jags head coach Corey Sunday said, before adding, “The thing we’ve been working on in the last couple of years is scheduling tougher preseason games to get us ready for league.”
Jags take one of three
Windsor sent pitcher Travis Broadhead to the hill in the Rabinovitz opener at Analy, and the senior southpaw responded with his best outing of the season.
The Jaguars drew blood in the first inning when Tanner Kane singled and later scored on an RBI knock from Akeiko Fa’agata-Averbuck for a 1-0 lead. It was all the run support Broadhead would need, firing 6.2 innings of 2-hit ball while fanning 10 before the pitch count (110) forced him out of the game with one out in the seventh. Reliever Eric Begley recorded the final two outs to preserve a 1-0 victory.
“Travis showed us what type of pitcher he is,” Sunday noted. “He threw a great game and was in full control until the pitch count got him.”
Top hitters against Analy were Fa’agata-Averbuck (2 for 2, RBI), Kane (1 for 3, run) and Kobe Roman (1 for 3, 2B).
Sophomore hurler Tyler Holmes got the start for Windsor in game two against Ukiah on March 23, recovering from a two-run Wildcats’ rally in the first with five strong innings (5 hits, 3 Ks) of work. The Jags clawed back with two runs in the third but could get no closer as Ukiah hung on for a 3-2 win. Leading hitters included Broadhead (1 for 3, RBI) and Holmes (1 for 2).
Windsor wrapped up the Rabinovitz tourney in Thursday’s clash for third place against Montgomery, engaging the Vikings in a see-saw battle that would require nine innings before being decided.
Sophomore JV call-up Cyrus Soleanizaldeh got the start, keeping the Jaguars in the hunt before the game moved to extra innings knotted at 5-apiece. The Vikings scratched for the winning run in the ninth inning to pull out a 6-5 win. Pignataro took the loss in relief, while top hitters were Ethan Wright (3 for 4), Broadhead (2 for 4) and Chris Berndt (2 for 4).
Scheduling notes
The Jaguars will open the NBL season on March 29 at Rancho Cotate and return home to host Ukiah this Friday, March 31. Both games start at 4 p.m.
