LAKEPORT — Three days after playing their best defense of the season in a win over Santa Rosa, the Clear Lake Cardinals self-destructed with seven errors in a 5-2 non-league softball loss to the Ukiah Wildcats on Tuesday in Lakeport.
“One of the worst defensive games I can recall in a couple of years,” Clear Lake coach Gary Pickle said. “And I”m not counting mental errors because we had a bunch of those. We missed signals and didn”t cover first on one play.”
In losing for the first time in five games this season, the Cardinals (4-1) fell behind 3-0. They closed to 3-2 with two runs in the bottom of the third on back-to-back two-out RBI singles by Rebecca Baker and Mari Jordan.
“It was a close game at that point and I felt like it might spark us a little bit,” Pickle said. “We did have some opportunities but never got that hit when we needed it.”
Ukiah put the game away with two unearned runs in the top of the fifth. The Wildcats also loaded the bases on three Clear Lake errors in the sixth but couldn”t score.
“Ukiah had lost a couple of games (coming in) and looked like they wanted a win,” Pickle said. “They played real well and hit the ball hard consistently all day.”
Losing pitcher Liz Sanderson worked the first six innings and was charged with all five Ukiah runs, only two of them earned. She struck out six and walked five. Emily Wingler worked a scoreless seventh.
“We took them lightly, I don”t know why,” Pickle said. “We weren”t ready to play.”
Ukiah leadoff hitter Melissa Reyes was a thorn in the Cardinals” side all day. She went 2-for-4 but reached base five times. Kerri Donnelly also went 2-for-4 for the Wildcats
Baker, Jordan and Katie Reynolds, who doubled, had the only hits for the Cardinals.
Clear Lake returns to action Thursday in Willits at 4 p.m.
