LAKEPORT — Solo home runs by brothers Robby and Richie Rowland powered the Cloverdale Eagles to a 12-6 win over the Clear Lake Cardinals on Friday afternoon in Lakeport, a loss that sets up a critical Tuesday home game for the Cardinals against St. Vincent.
Cloverdale”s win over Clear Lake and St. Vincent”s 17-1 victory over Upper Lake on Friday leaves St. Vincent atop the South standings at 5-1, followed by Cloverdale at 5-2 and Clear Lake at 4-2. If Clear Lake beats St. Vincent on Tuesday and the three teams close out the week tied for first place, the Cardinals would advance to the North Coast Section Class A playoffs as the league”s automatic representative based on a number-draw tiebreaker held before the start of the season.
If the league ends in a two-way tie and head-to-head results can”t break the tie, the two teams will meet in a one-game playoff a week from today to determine the South”s automatic playoff representative. The other teams could still advance to the playoffs as at-large teams, though there”s absolutely no guarantee that will happen.
“We need to win Tuesday,” Clear Lake coach Brian Figg said. “We”re up for it, we need it and it”s going to be a whole different day. The road to the playoffs goes through Clear Lake.”
Rob Rowland set the tone for Cloverdale”s victory on Tuesday, smacking a 3-1 pitch from losing pitcher Mike Zimmerman over the fence in right-center field for the game”s first run. The Eagles added two more runs in the inning to go up 3-0. They added five more runs, most of them unearned, in the top of the second for an 8-0 cushion and led 10-2 after three innings.
“To start the game like that, it just took the wind right out of our sails,” Figg said of Clear Lake”s play in the first two innings. “Our defense was sloppy, we threw the ball around, and Cloverdale mixed in some hits. They”re a very good offensive team.”
Figg said the Cardinals, now 10-8 overall, weren”t amused when the Eagles were still bunting runners over in the late innings.
“There was a lot of good-natured trash talking going on,” Figg said.
Richie Rowland (3-for-4, 3 RBIs) homered to left field in the fourth inning.
Ryan Dixon went 3-for-4 with two RBIs for the Cardinals, who beat Cloverdale 2-1 in eight innings back on April 24 in Cloverdale. In that game, Zimmerman went the distance and struck out eight. On Friday, he didn”t survive the second inning, leaving after 1 2/3 having allowed eight runs, only three of which were earned.
In other baseball action Friday:
St. Vincent 17,Upper Lake 1
At Petaluma, the St. Vincent Mustangs took over sole possession of first place in the NCL I South standings by pounding out 14 hits in a win over the Upper Lake Cougars. All of St. Vincent”s runs were earned.
The Mustangs had a 3-0 lead after two innings and broke the game open with a nine-run third.
Upper Lake (1-6 South, 8-13 overall) had only three hits, one of them a double by Jayce Meri.
Middletown 12, St. Helena 9
At St. Helena, winning pitcher Devin Nordin helped his own cause by going 3-for-3, including an RBI during a three-run fifth inning, and the Middletown Mustangs beat St. Helena in NCL I interlock action.
Erik Tomko also went 3-for-3 with the Mustangs (9-12). Back-to-back RBI singles by Tomko and Nordin in the top of the fifth put Middletown ahead to stay 6-5.
The Mustangs put the game away with a four-run seventh that featured back-to-back doubles by Jake Strickler and Kelley McKinley. Strickler”s hit drove in two runs.
Willits 9, Kelseyville 5
At Willits, Kelseyville scored four times in the bottom of the third to go up 4-1, but the Willits Wolverines answered with a five-run fourth and went on to beat the Knights in NCL I North action.
Brandon Nielson, Scott Khron, Joe Gatlyn and Mike Duman all drove in runs for Kelseyville (2-4, 8-12).
Fort Bragg 12, Lower Lake 1
At Lower Lake, Joel Valencia”s RBI double in the bottom of the first accounted for all of Lower Lake”s scoring in a lopsided loss to the Fort Bragg Timberwolves, who improved to 5-1 in the NCL I North standings.
Jonathan Haws and Jake Sanders had the only other Lower Lake hits as the Trojans dipped to 1-5 in the North and 5-15 overall.
Softball
St. Vincent 19, Upper Lake 2
At Petaluma, the St. Vincent Mustangs moved into possession of second place in the NCL I South softball standings with a lopsided victory over the winless Cougars (0-7, 7-11).
About the only bright spot for the Cougars was Caity Falge, who went 3-for-3, all doubles, including two that bounced off the fence in left field. Jessica Swaney also went 2-for-3 with a RBI.
Losing pitcher Courtney Gatton walked 10 and the Cougars committed 10 errors behind her in the field.
Kelseyville 7, Willits 6
At Kelseyville, freshman Jillian Allen, who earned a start after impressing her coach in practice last week, delivered a three-run triple to highlight a five-run third inning and lead the Kelseyville Knights past the Willits Wolverines in NCL I North softball action.
Another freshman, Sarah Johnson, went 2-for-3 with a double as Kelseyville improved to 2-4 in the North standings and 5-13 overall.
“My freshmen did a great job,” Kelseyville coach Greg Giusti said.
Winning pitcher Casey Bowlin tossed a four-hitter and struck out a season-best eight.
Willits scored a run in the top of the seventh to close to 7-6, but some outstanding defense by second baseman Ashley Graham slammed the door on a potential Wolverines rally.
“She made back-to-back-to-back outstanding plays (on grounders),” Giusti said.
St. Helena 7, Middletown 6
At Middletown, the St. Helena Saints fell behind 6-4 in the top of the ninth but rallied with three runs in the bottom of the inning to beat the Middletown Mustangs in NCL I interlock action.
Middletown (9-13) forced extra innings by scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at 4.
RBI singles by Jacquie Tobin and Alicia Siri in the top of the ninth gave Middletown a 6-4 lead.
Amber Lofton went 3-for-5 for the Mustangs and Tobin, Sam Senseney and Kelsey Welton each had two hits.
Losing pitcher Jen Emberson struck out five and walked five in 8 2/3 innings.
