LOWER LAKE — Kaila Sterbank went 4-for-4 with two RBIs and Kacie Hinchcliff blasted a three-run home run to lift the Clear Lake Cardinals past the Lower Lake Trojans 16-1 in the season opener for both of these softball teams on Tuesday in Lower Lake.
“After our first two scrimmages I was concerned about our hitting,” Clear Lake coach Gary Pickle said. “We were not swinging the bats well. But we hit the ball today. We hit some good balls and even some of our outs were hit hard.”
Clear Lake reeled off eight runs in the top of the first inning, more than enough run support for winning pitcher Brittany Rumfelt, who blanked the Trojans (0-1) on no hits in her three innings. She struck out eight and walked none. Rylie Gabehart, who was making her varsity debut, finished up. She struck out four and walked two over the final two innings.
“It was an awakening,” Lower Lake coach Joe Parker said of the Trojans” rough season opener. “They had two scrimmages before today and this was our first game.”
Losing pitcher Katie Munch went 2-for-2 to account for all of Lower Lake”s hits. Kamie Mederos” RBI groundout broke up the shutout in the bottom of the fifth inning.
“I”m bringing back a veteran squad, but some of them played two years ago and not last season,” Parker said. “So I guess we”re a veteran squad that”s lacking experience.”
Clear Lake”s a veteran squad, too, led by Rumfelt, who will be pitching for the University of Oregon this time next year.
“He”s gonna have a good season,” Parker said of his coaching counterpart, Pickle.
In addition to racking up 14 hits against the Trojans, the Cardinals also stole six bases.
“We stole everything we wanted to,” Pickle said. “We”re pretty fast.”
Hinchcliff”s home run during a four-run sixth was a line drive into the right-center field gap.
“It was a bullet,” Pickle said. “The ball was past the center fielder before she could get over to cut it off.”
In other softball action Tuesday:
Upper Lake 8, Potter Valley 0
At Upper Lake, Courtney Gatton shut out the Potter Valley Bearcats on one hit, a seeing-eye single with two outs in the top of the fifth inning, and Upper Lake rolled to its second straight victory.
“It was right between first base and second base and our second baseman (Caity Falge) got a glove on it,” Upper Lake coach Justin Dutcher said of Potter Valley”s lone hit. “She didn”t allow anything else that was close to a hit.
“At times she had trouble locating her pitches (Gatton walked three and hit two), but she was pretty much in command,” Dutcher added.
Gatton struck out 10 and walked two.
Upper Lake (2-1) staked Gatton to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning and the Cougars tacked on four more runs in the second to go up 5-0.
Falge and Jessica Swaney, Upper Lake”s freshman shortstop, sparked a 15-hit attack. Falge went 3-for-4 and Swaney went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs.
“She”s going to be something,” Dutcher said of Swaney.
Willows 10, Middletown 1
At Middletown, the Willows Honkers scored nine unearned runs in a lopsided non-league victory over the Middletown Mustangs.
Middletown (0-3) out-hit Willows 9-8 but committed 10 errors, wasting a pretty good pitching performance by Jen Emberson, who went the distance, striking out three and walking four.
“We”re immature, a young team, but we”re going to get there,” Middletown coach Lisa Rogers said.
Julia Leathers went 2-for-4 for Middletown and Samantha Senseney went 2-for-2 with a RBI, doubling home Kelsey Welton with the Mustangs” lone run in the bottom of the sixth inning.
