SANTA ROSA — Kaila Sterbank”s two-run triple with one out in the top of the seventh inning pulled Clear Lake to within a run of the Maria Carrillo Pumas, but the Cardinals were unable to get the tying run home Wednesday as they fell 6-5 in a non-league softball game in Santa Rosa.
It was Clear Lake”s first loss this season and first defeat since a 3-1 setback to St. Patrick/St. Vincent of Vallejo in the semifinals of the North Coast Section Class A playoffs in May of 2006. The Cardinals won 33 straight between losses.
“I felt today was a good measuring stick for us,” Clear Lake coach Gary Pickle said. “We played well against a good team, but we just made a few too many mistakes.”
Clear Lake”s only two errors, but of the throwing variety, allowed three runs to score and that was just too much to give a team the caliber of a Maria Carrillo (4-2), according to Pickle.
“You don”t mind losing to a good team, but we were kind of our own worst enemy,” Pickle said. “The errors came on plays where we didn”t have to hurry.”
Pickle said he also noticed that his young Cardinals appeared to hold back at different points in the game instead of attack. “I think we played a little too cautiously at times instead of being aggressive. It”s a fine line that you have to be able to reach.”
Trailing 6-3 entering the top of the seventh, the Cardinals put two of their first three batters on base as Rylie Gabehart doubled and Apryl Comstock battled winning pitcher Tess Granath before drawing a walk. That rolled over the lineup for leadoff hitter Sterbank, who tripled home both runners to make it 6-5.
But the Cardinals couldn”t advance Sterbank. Samantha Espinoza tried to lay down a bunt but instead popped it up to Granath, who struck out Julie Jackson to end the game.
The contest matched two teams with similar styles in that both put a lot of pressure on the other”s defense with aggressive baserunning, according to Pickle.
“They put a lot of pressure on us,” Pickle said. “And their pitcher is really good.”
Granath struck out eight and walked two.
Losing pitcher Liz Sanderson worked the first four innings and probably deserved a better fate. She allowed four runs, only one of which was earned, struck out five and walked three.
Clear Lake (6-1) took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first but Maria Carrillo surged ahead 3-2 in the bottom of the third thanks to a two-out throwing that allowed two runs to score.
After the Cardinals tied the game with a run in the top of the fourth, the Pumas pushed back in front 4-3 in the bottom half, a throwing error giving them the lead for good.
Maria Carrillo added runs in the fifth and sixth against reliever Gabehart to go up 6-3.
Pitching behind in the count too often hurt the Cardinals, according to Pickle, who said the team also stranded too many baserunners.
“We left too many runners on base,” Pickle said.
But there were positives, too, including the comeback in the seventh ignited by the bottom of the batting order.
“The bottom of the order did a good job getting on base,” Pickle said. “We were scrapping and fighting all the way, we just couldn”t get that final run home or we still might be playing.”
Clear Lake”s schedule doesn”t get any easier the next few days. On Friday, the Cardinals open against Windsor in the first round of the Ukiah Tournament at 2 p.m. at Ukiah High School. Windsor (6-2), one of the favorites in the Sonoma County League this season, already owns a 13-1 win over St. Vincent, which competes in the same league (North Central League I South) as Clear Lake.
