LAKEPORT — Taking advantage of 15 walks and four hit batsmen, the Clear Lake Cardinals also received hits from 10 different players while pounding Geyserville 19-0 in a five-inning non-league softball game on Friday in Lakeport.
“We spread it around tonight,” Clear Lake coach Gary Pickle said of the Cardinals” 11-hit attack.
Only one player — Mori Jordan (2-for-2, double, 3 RBIs) — had more than one hit. Kaila Sterbank went 1-for-2 and scored four times while Samantha Espinoza, Julie Jackson, Candy Diener and Katie Reynolds each had a hit and two RBIs apiece.
“They just gave us too many free runners,” Pickle said of the Bronchos, who trailed 8-0 after one inning.
Winning pitcher Liz Sanderson and reliever Rylie Gabehart combined on a one-hitter. Sanderson struck out four, walked none and hit one in three innings. Gabehart struck out four, walked none and also hit one over the final two innings.
Geyserville had four runners reach base and only one advanced as far as third. The Bronchos” lone hit was a leadoff double by Alilla Dollar in the second inning. Dollar tried to advance to third base on a grounder but was cut down on the back end of a 5-3-5 (third-to-first-to-third) double play.
Aggressive baserunning, a trademark of past Clear Lake teams, was evident in the bottom of the first when Cardinals second baseman Samantha Espinoza walked and continued on to second base when Geyserville”s middle infielders failed to cover the bag.
Clear Lake returns to action Saturday with a doubleheader at Esparto.
