Local high school baseball teams made the most of a stormy 2-week stretch, logging three games last week in abbreviated diamond action.
El Molino (5-3, 1-0) began the stretch with a home clash against Middletown on March 19, but bounced back on Friday with an 18-0 shellacking over visiting Elsie Allen.
At press time the Lions were prepping for a March 26 home tilt against St. Helena and were to resume league action on March 27 against Piner. El Mo will host Sonoma Valley this Friday, March 30 in a 4 p.m. start.
The Lions sent starter Jack Belli to the hill in the March 19 non-league meeting with Middletown, spotting the Mustangs four runs in the opening frame. El Mo clawed back with two runs in the second and another in the third to trail 6-3, then made things interesting with a two-run uprising in the seventh before succumbing 6-5.
Belli (5.1 IP, 4 hits, 2 ERs, 7 Ks) deserved a better fate before giving way to relievers Bradley Swinney (.2 IP, 4 hits, 4 ERs, K) and Patrick Atkinson (1 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs). Leading hitters were Wes Hamner (3 for 4, 2B, run), Curt Lewis (2 for 4, run), Jordan Hamner (2 for 4, run, RBI), Aaron Daniels (2 for 3, 2B, run), Sam McMinimy (1 for 1), Shane Spelman (1 for 4, 2B, RBI), Andy Junge (1 for 2, RBI), Sam Wilson-Mietz (1 for 4, RBI) and Jack Belli (1 for 2, run).
It was all El Mo in Friday’s SCL opener with visiting Elsie Allen, as the Lions pounded out 18 runs on 18 hits. The Lions pushed across 15 runs in the second frame to force an early stoppage on their way to an 18-0 rout.
Pacing the attack were Atkinson (4 for 4, 3 runs, 3 RBIs), Wes Hamner (2 for 4, 3 runs), Lewis (2 for 3, run, 2 RBIs), Jordan Hamner (2 for 2, 3 runs, RBI), Swinney (2 for 3, 2 runs), Wilson-Mietz (2 for 3, 3B, 2 runs, 2 RBIs) and Belli (2 for 3, run, 3 RBIs).
Tigers edged by Piner
The Analy Tigers (3-4, 0-1) have been mostly idle for the past two weeks, but did manage an outing on Friday in the SCL opener at Piner.
Analy hurler Brenden Medina (6 IP, 5 hits, 2 ERs, 7 Ks) was masterful in a complete game effort, but the Prospectors rallied for two runs in their final at-bat to walk-off with an unlikely, 2-1 win.
Collecting hits for the Tigers were Alex Leopard (1 for 4), Tony Siri (1 for 2, run), William St. Martin (1 for 3), Dalton Goodrum (1 for 3), Jeff Pearson (1 for 3) and Luke Tollini (1 for 3, RBI).
The Tigers will resume league play at Sonoma Valley on March 27 and come home to host Healdsburg this Friday, March 30 (4 p.m.).
