NAPA — While they”re still waiting for their offense to come online, the Clear Lake Cardinals can”t complain about their pitching or defense three games into the 2007 season.
Brittany Rumfelt struck out 15 and didn”t walk a batter and the Cardinals played error-free ball for the second game in a row while pinning an 8-0 loss on the Justin-Siena Braves in non-league softball action Wednesday in Napa.
“It”s the first time I”ve won on that field,” Clear Lake coach Gary Pickle said of the Braves” ballpark. “I”ve lost four or five times down there, I can”t remember exactly how many.”
Pickle did recall the Cardinals” previous trip to Napa, a game during Rumfelt”s freshman season when Clear Lake took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh and lost 2-1 on an error.
Clear Lake actually caught a break this time around against the Braves, who were without their top pitcher because of illness. Lauren Mallin filled in and was roughed up early by the Cardinals (3-0), who plated four runs in the top of the first inning and another in the second for a 5-0 lead.
“We kind of went into cruise mode after that,” Pickle said of his offense, which had nine hits led by Samantha Espinoza”s 3-for-4 day at the plate.
“Our strengths right now are our pitching and defense,” Pickle said.
Rumfelt, who struck out 12 batters in a 2-0 win over Maria Carrillo on Friday, didn”t allow a hit after the second inning and finished with a four-hitter. Justin-Siena left the bases loaded in the bottom of the first, its biggest scoring threat of the game, and added two more hits in the second against Rumfelt, who worked out of the mini-jam by striking out two and getting an inning-ending groundout.
“I thought she threw the ball real well,” Pickle said of his hard-throwing left-hander, who certainly assisted the defense by recording 15 of the game”s 21 outs.
The Braves nearly collected their fifth hit of the day in the bottom of the third but right fielder Emilee Meyer fielded a line drive on a hop and threw on to first base for a 9-3 forceout.
Haley Sanderson and Candy Diener each had two hits and two RBIs for Clear Lake.
“I moved her into the fifth spot (in the batting order) and she looks real comfortable there,” Pickle said of Sanderson, his senior center fielder.
Espinoza, the team”s left fielder, had four quality at-bats against Mallin.
“She was real patient at the plate, she didn”t chase anything and she did a lot of two-strike hitting,” Pickle said.
Clear Lake picked up its final three runs in the top of the sixth.
The Cardinals stay on the road and return to action Friday in Santa Rosa against Elsie Allen at 4 p.m.
