LAKEPORT — Working out of big-time jams in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, Clear Lake High School pitcher Liz Sanderson proved to be one cool customer on Friday afternoon as the Cardinals beat the previously undefeated St. Vincent Mustangs 4-1 in a North Central League I South softball game at Lakeport.
The victory moves Clear Lake (5-1, 16-4) into a virtual tie with St. Vincent (6-1, 12-8) for the South lead. If the Cardinals beat Upper Lake and St. Helena next week in their final two league games, they can do no worse than a tie for the championship.
“We haven”t won anything yet,” Clear Lake coach Gary Pickle said after his team”s biggest win of the season to date.
At least Clear Lake”s longtime coach was smiling this time around against St. Vincent, which handed Clear Lake a bitter 9-8 loss on April 21 in Petaluma. The Mustangs had beaten the Cardinals three straight times heading into Friday”s action and it was a streak Pickle wanted to end in the worst way.
“We needed to break that thing,” he said. “You don”t want one of your league rivals doing that to you. They were getting a little bit of ownage on us.”
It was anything but a routine victory for the Cardinals, who gave up an unearned run in the top of the third inning only to come right back and take a 3-1 lead in the bottom half. Heather White and Kaila Sterbank reached on infield singles and Hannah Hoffeditz was hit by a Kelsey Joyce pitch to load the bases with no outs for Mori Jordan, who grounded a triple to the fence in right-center field, clearing the bases.
Clear Lake had an opportunity to add to its lead with runners at second and third and one out later in the inning, but Joyce retired Katie Reynolds on a popup and struck out Rebecca Baker to limit the damage.
St. Vincent”s first two batters reached base in the top of the fourth, rolling over the lineup to leadoff hitter Ashley Patton, who smacked a hard liner headed toward left field. What appeared to be a single ended up as a double play as shortstop Kaila Sterbank reached up as high as she could go to glove the ball and threw on to second to easily double up the runner there. Sanderson struck out Jennifer Eastham to get out of her first jam.
“That was the crucial play of the game right there,” Pickle said of Sterbank”s defensive gem, which was similar to a play she made in Clear Lake”s 2-1 victory over St. Patrick/St. Vincent in the 2007 North Coast Section Class A championship game in Vallejo.
“Great athletes make great plays,” Pickle said of his senior shortstop.
Jam No. 2 came in the top of the fifth. DJ Garcia led off with a single and Alyssa Garcia reached base on a dropped fly ball. With one out, Anna McKenna singled to left field to load the bases. Once again, Sanderson buckled down and got her pitching counterpart Joyce to pop up to Sterbank. She then struck out Heather Murphy, who has a strike zone the size of a postage stamp, to end the inning.
St. Vincent again threatened in the top of the sixth. Katie Hitchcock worked a leadoff walk and Patton singled. DJ Garica”s one-out single to center field loaded the bases for cleanup hitter Alyssa Garcia, who worked the count full and fouled off a 3-2 pitch before taking a called third strike. Sanderson got the next batter, Kayla Marshall, to ground out to shortstop to end the inning.
“Liz made some really key pitches,” Pickle said. “When she had to, she did.”
Clear Lake picked up a big insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Vanessa Tullos clubbed a two-out double to score pinch-runner Jayci Ferguson. Tullos fell behind in the count 0-2 but battled back to give the Cardinals a little more breathing room.
“That kind of put them back on their heels a little bit,” Pickle said of the Mustangs” reaction to Tullos” hit.
Sanderson worked a relatively easy top of the seventh, allowing a one-out double to Joyce but nothing else, to wrap it up and put the Cardinals on the verge of winning some share of the South championship.
“We didn”t play our best game today,” Pickle said. “We made too many mistakes on offense and defense. But one thing about this team is they will really fight and scrap.”
Sanderson struck out nine and walked six, one intentionally. Joyce struck out four and walked four.
