LAKEPORT ? Bryan Edwards pitched 4 2/3 innings for the victory in addition to going 3-for-3 with a double and three RBIs at the plate as the Clear Lake Cardinals beat the Berean Christian Eagles 7-5 in a non-league varsity baseball game on Saturday morning in Lakeport.
It was a quick turnaround for the Cardinals (4-2-1), who played Fort Bragg to a 6-6 draw in 11 innings on Friday afternoon in Fort Bragg. The teams finally ran out of light at about 7:30 p.m.
“We didn”t get home from Fort Bragg until about 10:30 p.m. and our game against Berean Christian started at 10:30 a.m., so we basically got home, went to bed and got up and played another game,” Clear Lake coach Paul Larrea said.
Noel McCormack”s two-run single capped a three-run Clear Lake rally in the bottom of the sixth against Berean Christian, pushing the Cardinals” lead to 7-3. He finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
“Noel”s been phenomenal,” Larrea said. “He”s hitting about .500 for us. He has two hits almost every game.”
Ryan Richardson worked the final 2 1/3 innings for the save, allowing one hit and no earned runs.
“He”s pitched 10 innings in relief for us so far this year and he”s allowed only one earned run,” Larrea said.
In the tie against Fort Bragg (the two teams will not meet again this year, so the game won”t be completed), Corey Dillon and Aaron Marshall slugged solo home runs and McCormack and Edwards each went 3-for-5.
Fort Bragg nearly won the game in the bottom of the ninth, but Edwards threw out a runner at the plate after catching a fly ball in right field, catcher Ryan Lunas blocking the plate and applying the tag.
Clear Lake had a chance to win the game in the 11th, but back-to-back strikeouts with runners at second and third ended the inning.
Christian Coddington, working in relief of starter Dillon, who didn”t survive the first inning, pitched 7 1/3 effective innings, allowing two runs, striking out six and walking none.
“Coddington was just outstanding,” Larrea said. “He didn”t walk anyone and he gave us an opportunity to stay in the game and fight our way back.”
Clear Lake rallied from a 6-2 deficit after four innings to tie the game with a run in the fifth and three in the sixth.
The Cardinals are home today to play Middletown at 4 p.m.
