GEYSERVILLE — Two freshmen made the most of their playing time on Thursday as the Clear Lake Cardinals shut out the Geyserville Bronchos 15-0 in non-league softball action at Geyserville.
Pitcher Emily Wingler and outfielder Cierra Lopez both figured prominently in the win, according to coach Gary Pickle, who said he was impressed with their efforts on the field and, in Lopez”s case, at the plate.
Wingler, making her first high school start, blanked the Bronchos on four hits, struck out five and walked just one.
“I thought she pitched well tonight,” Pickle said. “She was a little nervous at the start and her changeup was up in the strike zone and they were hitting it.”
Lopez, playing in left field, drove in the first of three Clear Lake runs in the top of the first inning. In the bottom half, she chased down a ball hit into the left-center field gap, preventing an extra-base hit, according to Pickle.
“It was nice catch,” Pickle said.
Clear Lake scored in every inning in the five-inning game, which was stopped after the bottom of the fifth because of the 10-run rule. The Cardinals added three more runs in the second to go up 6-0, led 10-0 after three innings, and added two more runs in the fourth and another in the fifth.
Mori Jordan went 2-for-4 with a double and four RBIs to spark the Cardinals at the plate and Kaila Sterbank went 2-for-2 with three runs. Rylie Gabehart (1-for-2) drove in a pair of runs.
While it was a one-sided win for Clear Lake, Pickle said the team has many areas to improve in, most notably baserunning.
“I didn”t think we had our heads in the game at times,” Pickle said of a pair of baserunning blunders by his veteran players, one of which nearly led to a triple play. “I was happy with the young girls.”
In other action Thursday:
Lower Lake 15, Pierce 12
At Arbuckle, Darlena White had her third straight four-hit game and drove in six more runs to lead the Lower Lake Trojans to a wild 15-12 victory over the Pierce Bears in non-league action.
White, who bats in the clean-up spot for the Trojans (3-2), winners of three straight, went 4-for-5, including a triple that most likely would have been a home run at Lower Lake.
Lower Lake coach Tim Sherrell elected to give his starting pitcher, Kristen Garcia, the day off and the Trojans struggled to throw strikes without her on the mound, walking 17 batters. Christine Powers, the third and final Lower Lake pitcher, worked the last 4 2/3 innings to notch the victory. She struck out two and walked six.
“Powers came through in the clutch,” Sherrell said. “She came in and threw strikes.”
Powers also went 2-for-4 with a RBI.
Katherine Dahneke made a game-saving catch in left field in the bottom of the fifth, robbing a Pierce player of extra bases with the bases loaded and two outs.
“The ball was hit over head and she just took off running and caught up with it,” Sherrell said.
Varsity baseball
Pierce 15, Lower Lake 0
At Arbuckle, sophomore pitcher Jake Driver didn”t allow a hit and struck out six as the Pierce Bears beat the Lower Lake Trojans in a non-league varsity baseball game called after 4 1/2 innings because of the 10-run rule.
Driver, who also pitched the Bears to a 4-3 win over Clear Lake in the second game of a doubleheader last Saturday in Lakeport, was in complete control the entire game, according to Lower Lake coach Chris Emberson.
“The kid dominated,” Emberson said. “He threw a fastball and a knuckleball, which kind of surprised us. He had real good velocity on the fastball.”
Lower Lake did hit a couple of balls hard at Pierce”s second baseman, who booted both for errors, according to Emberson.
Pierce scored five times in the bottom of the first inning, more than enough support for Driver.
The losing pitcher was George Novak, who worked the first 2 1/3 innings. Eddy Sears pitched the final 1 2/3.
Lower Lake (0-4) returns to action Tuesday at Mendocino.
