UKIAH — Four Clear Lake High School softball players were named to the All-Tournament team on Saturday after the Cardinals beat Ukiah 3-2 in the championship game of the Ukiah Tournament, but there easily could have been a fifth.
“She saved the game for us,” Clear Lake coach Gary Pickle said of senior right fielder Emilee Meyer, who made not one but two outstanding catches — on flyballs hit by consecutive batters — in the bottom of the sixth inning.
After disposing of Windsor earlier in the day 8-1 to reach the championship game against Ukiah, a 3-2 winner over St. Vincent in the other semifinal, the Cardinals took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth against the Wildcats.
Ukiah batters opened the inning with three straight singles against winner pitcher Brittany Rumfelt to close to 3-1. With runners at the corners and no outs, Ukiah was in a good position to at least draw even with the Cardinals (15-0).
That”s when Meyer, a four-year varsity veteran, made her presence — and glove — felt in right field.
A line drive smacked into the right-center field gap appeared headed for extra bases but instead settled into Meyer”s mitt as she caught the ball on a dead run while reaching below her waist. The Ukiah runner at third tagged up and scored to make it 3-2, but it could have been a lot worse, according to Pickle.
“If that ball gets through to the fence the game is tied,” Pickle said.
Ukiah”s next batter dunked a ball down the right-field line that Meyer caught with a fully-extended dive into foul territory.
“She snow-coned it,” Pickle said of the ball, which was sticking halfway out of the glove when Meyer caught it.
“She could have been our fifth All-Tourney player,” Pickle said of Meyer. “Rumfelt was the clear choice for MVP but any of our eight other starters could have been on that team. They all played that well.”
Named along with MVP Rumfelt, who scattered six hits, struck out seven and walked none, were catcher Julie Jackson, second baseman Kacie Hinchcliff and center fielder Haley Sanderson.
Clear Lake grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on Jackson”s RBI groundout. The Cardinals made it 3-0 in the top of the fourth on Hinchcliff”s two-run single with one out.
“Our No. 8 and 9 hitters struck out after that, so if she doesn”t get that hit, we don”t score in the inning,” Pickle said.
Earlier in the day against Windsor, a game that was called after five innings because of a tournament time rule, Sanderson went 3-for-4 to lead the Cardinals at the plate and Jackson, Rumfelt, Hinchcliff and Samantha Espinoza all had RBIs.
Rumfelt allowed five hits, struck out four and walked none.
Clear Lake opens its North Central League I South schedule today at home against St. Helena, then turns around and faces a critical South contest Wednesday afternoon against St. Vincent in Petaluma. Both games start at 4 p.m. The Cardinals are the defending South champions.
