ROSS — Clear Lake bunched five of its 11 hits in the top of the first inning, scoring five times, and rolled to an 11-2 non-league softball win over Branson School on Friday in the upscale Marin County community of Ross.
Winning pitcher Brittany Rumfelt (3-for-4) singled home two runs and Kacie Hinchcliff tripled home two more during the five-run first. Kaila Sterbank also had three hits and a RBI as the Cardinals improved to 19-0, one win shy of matching their best start ever ? they won their first 20 in 2000.
“We played one of our better games on defense,” Clear Lake coach Gary Pickle said.
Clear Lake”s middle infielders, shortstop Sterbank and second baseman Hinchcliff, each had five assists as the Cardinals committed just one error.
Branson, a Class A team that competes in a league (Marin County Athletic) loaded with 2A and 3A schools, put the ball into play against the Cardinals as Rumfelt registered only five strikeouts.
“They”re used to good pitching in that league,” Pickle said.
In other softball action Friday:
Lower Lake 8, Kelseyville 5
At Lower Lake, the Lower Lake Trojans moved out of the NCL I North cellar with a come-from-behind win over the Kelseyville Knights.
Lower Lake (1-2 North, 2-14 overall) erased a 4-3 deficit with a four-run bottom of the fifth. Morgan Meadows, Danielle Burke and Stephanie Mederos all had running-scoring singles during the rally.
Winning pitcher Katie Munch scattered five hits, struck out four and walked.
“Katie buckled down after that second inning,” Lower Lake coach Joe Parker said of Munch, who allowed four runs in the first and another in the second, then shut out the Knights over the final five innings.
“We gave them too many outs in that inning,” Kelseyville coach Greg Giusti said of the four-run fifth.
Kelseyville (0-3, 3-11) led 5-2 after two innings.
Kamie Mederos went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs for Lower Lake and Amanda Mueller went 2-for-3 with a double for Kelseyville.
Baseball
Kelseyville 11, Lower Lake 0
At Lower Lake, winning Mike Duman combined with two relievers on a five-hitter and Joe Gatlyn went 2-for-2 with a solo home run and two RBIs overall as the Kelseyville Knights logged their first NCL I North win by shutting out the Lower Lake Trojans.
Duman worked the first four innings, struck out six and walked only one. Jared Templeton and Lucas McBride each pitched an inning in relief as the Knights improved to 1-2 in league and 7-9 overall.
“They threw a lot of strikes today,” Kelseyville coach Morgan Weiper said. “And the defense played well.”
Four different Kelseyville players — Gatlyn, Luis Martinez, Tyson Newton and Richie Bucher — had two hits apiece.
Kelseyville scored its first seven runs in the top of the second inning, that after Lower Lake (1-2, 4-12) failed to take advantage of a scoring opportunity in the bottom of the first.
Anthony Lucchesi went 2-for-3 for Lower Lake.
Fort Bragg 6, Middletown 2
At Middletown, the Mid-dletown Mustangs kept it close until the top of the seventh inning in an NCL I North loss to the Fort Bragg Timberwolves.
Fort Bragg (4-0 North) scored three times in the top of the seventh to break open a 3-2 game.
Middletown (0-3, 6-11) led 2-1 until the top of the fifth. Four Mustang errors in the inning helped the Timberwolves push across two runs for a 3-2 lead.
“The game was really determined in the fifth inning in many ways,” Middletown coach Mitch Tucker said.
Middletown took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Jacky Crachiola (3-for-4) hit the first pitch he saw over the fence in left-center field for a home run, his team-leading fifth of the season.
Fort Bragg tied it in the top of the second but Middletown went back in front 2-1 in the bottom of the inning.
Tennis
Kelseyville 5, Cloverdale 0
At Kelseyville, still smarting from a 3-2 loss to Middletown on Tuesday, the Kelseyville Knights closed out the Coastal Mountain Conference tennis season with a strong performance against the Cloverdale Eagles.
The Knights (6-2) lost twice in conference play to Middletown (8-0), both times by 3-2 scores.
Kelseyville won four of the five matches against Cloverdale in straight sets. The one match that went three sets saw Stuart Davy hand Jacob Kreiger his first loss of the season, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1, in second singles.
Keith Hulsey beat Kyla Cacace 6-2, 7-5 in first singles and Luke Kriken defeated Fred Westernburg 6-4, 6-3 in third singles.
In doubles action, Jill Bailey and Lauren Nixon were 6-0, 6-2 winners over Andrew Jopson and Zachary Hughes, and Evan Carpenter and David Van Buskirk beat Megan Holsinger and Hugo Orozco 6-1, 6-0 in second doubles.
Golf
Kelseyville sixth at Rancho
At Rohnert Park, the Kelseyville High School golf team finished sixth in a strong field at the 13-team Rancho Cotate Invitational at the difficult Foxtail North course.
“Fastest greens I”ve seen all season,” Kelseyville coach John Berry said. “The course was heavily bunkered with some water and all the pins were in difficult positions.”
Ukiah topped the field with a score of 381. Sonoma was next at 401 and Rancho Cotate (409), Maria Carrillo (414), Analy (421) and Kelseyville (431) followed in the team standings.
“A lot of the teams we”re going to be seeing at North Coast Section were here today,” Berry said. “I think we could have played a little better, but I”m comfortable with what they did.”
Ian Labrecht of Sonoma had the low individual round, a 1-under-par 71. Kelseyville”s Brent Hamilton tied Kirk Little of Ukiah for the fifth best round at 75.
Other Kelseyville leaders were Nick Schaefer at 86 and Schuyler Bloom at 89.
