ESPARTO — Follow the bouncing ball ? even if it hits someone in the head.
Mike Zimmerman”s tape-measure blast for the Clear Lake Cardinals in the second game of their non-league varsity baseball doubleheader against Esparto on Saturday afternoon did exactly that. The home run, Clear Lake”s first of the season, also snapped a 4-4 tie as the Cardinals went on to beat Esparto 10-7 in five innings for a sweep of the two-game set.
Clear Lake won the first game 17-7.
In the second game, Clear Lake trailed 4-3 going to the top of the fourth inning. The Cardinals tied the game at 4 before Zimmerman, a left-handed hitter, launched a shot deep over the right-field fence and into the softball bleachers, where fans were busy watching a doubleheader between the Clear Lake and Esparto softball teams.
“It cleared the fence, landed in the bleachers and hit a boy in the head,” Clear Lake coach Paul Larrea said. “He was OK.”
Zimmerman went 2-for-4 in the second game and he also pitched the final three innings in relief of starter Zane Butler to pick up the victory as the Cardinals improved to 7-1 overall.
Both teams agree to a five-inning game in the nightcap. Clear Lake scored seven runs in the top of the fourth, Zimmerman”s home run being the big blow, to push ahead for good.
“It really kind of opened up the inning,” Larrea said of the home run.
In his next at-bat, Zimmerman hit the ball to the 312-foot sign affixed to the center field fall, where an Esparto player caught it.
Roman Rose, Nick Jordan and Noel McCormack also had two hits apiece.
In the first game, Clear Lake pounded out 16 hits. McCormack and Alan Moses led the way, each going 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Jordan, Rose, Zimmerman and James Robinson added two hits apiece.
Ryan Hansford pitched the first five innings in game one to pick up the victory.
In other action Saturday:
Enterprise 15, Kelseyville 0
Wheatland 8, Kelseyville 1
At Oroville, the Kelseyville Knights dropped both their Saturday games to finish 2-2 at the large-school Oroville Tournament.
“Going in I would have been happy just to win one game knowing the teams we were playing,” Kelseyville coach Lou Poloni said.
Even so, Poloni said the Knights seemed flat one day after beating both Lassen and Chico in the opening rounds.
“You would have thought we would have been on a big high after beating Chico,” Poloni said.
Kelseyville managed just two hits against Enterprise High School of Redding in a 15-0 loss to open Saturday”s action. Cody Rosado had a single and Tommy Mingori, who would later be named to the All-Tournament team, had a double.
Three Kelseyville pitchers combined to walk 14 batters and the Knights also were victimized by seven errors.
“You can”t give a good team that many extra outs,” Poloni said.
In the late game against Wheatland, Mike Duman, Justin Lilly, Matt Jones, Michael Davis and Peter Wotherspoon all had hits for the Knights in an 8-1 loss. Jones worked the first five innings and walked only two batters, but Kelseyville again struggled on defense, committing seven more errors.
In softball action on Saturday:
Clear Lake 7, Esparto 2
Clear Lake 10, Esparto 3
At Esparto, Liz Sanderson tossed a four-hitter in the first game and Rylie Gabehart pitched a two-hitter in the second game as the Clear Lake Cardinals swept Esparto in a doubleheader.
In game one, Sanderson struck out four and walked two. Mori Jordan (3-for-4), Kaila Sterbank (2-for-4, 2 RBIs) and Candy Diener (2-for-4, 2 RBIs) anchored the offense.
Apryl Comstock made the defensive play of the game when she gloved a line drive down the right field to end a two-on, two-out threat in the bottom of the sixth.
In the second game, Gabehart struck out five and walked five.
Clear Lake (4-0) banged out 14 hits, getting two each from Sterbank, Diener, Samantha Espinoza, Julie Jackson, and Hannah Hoffeditz. Sterbank, Jackson and Hoffeditz also had two RBIs apiece.
Clear Lake coach Gary Pickle played a younger lineup in the nightcap and said he was impressed with the play of sophomore designated hitter Corrine McKinney (1-for-3, triple), sophomore left fielder Rachel Thornton (1-for-3, two runs), freshman center fielder Rebecca Baker (1-for-1, run) and sophomore right fielder Hoffeditz.
Third baseman Katie Reynolds also helped turn an unassisted 5-3 (third to first) double play to get the Cardinals out of a jam in the bottom of the sixth.
Clear Lake hosts Ukiah today and Fort Bragg on Thursday.
Colusa 6, Kelseyville 3
Hamilton City 2, Kelseyville 1
At Hamilton City, after dropping a 6-3 decision to powerhouse Colusa early Saturday, the Knights were no-hit by Hamilton City freshman Emily Stokes in a final-round game at the Hamilton City Tournament.
“She was effectively erratic,” Kelseyville coach Greg Giusti said of Stokes” pitches, which often came in over the Knights” heads and even behind them.
Stokes used her occasional wildness to her advantage, striking out 11 and walking only three.
“She made it really difficult to stand in there and hit against her,” Giusti said. “My players had happy feet.”
Kelseyville took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first but Hamilton City answered with two runs in the bottom of the third and made them stand up behind Stokes” pitching.
In the first game, Colusa scored three times in the top of the seventh to snap a 3-3 tie.
“It was a good game,” Giusti said. “Colusa is a big, strong and powerful team and it easily could have been 20-0.”
Megan Andre went 2-for-4 with a RBI for the Knights and Amanda Mueller went 2-for-3 with double. Allyson Brown added a triple.
Casey Bowlin struck out nine and walked three in a losing cause.
Kelseyville is 2-5 on the season.
