UPPER LAKE — Emily Wingler tossed a six-hit shutout and the Clear Lake Cardinals clinched a tie for the North Central League I South softball championship on Tuesday with a 7-0 victory over the Upper Lake Cougars at Upper Lake.
It was regular-season finale for the Cougars, who finish 2-6 in league and 11-8 overall. They will apply for an at-large berth in the North Coast Section Division V playoffs, which begin next week. If the Cougars reach the postseason, it will be the first time since 2002. It”s their first winning record since 2004 (11-9).
“We played a good game, I was proud of them,” Upper Lake coach Kelly Coburn said of the Cougars, who lost 18-3 to Clear Lake in their first league meeting. “They have done an awesome job this year.”
Clear Lake (7-0, 18-4) has won 10 straight and can clinch the outright championship on Friday with a victory in Cloverdale, provided the Eagles (4-1) win both ends of a home doubleheader today against St. Vincent (3-3).
Clear Lake has won some share of the South title four of the last five seasons.
“I feel pretty good about that,” Clear Lake coach Gary Pickle said. “This was a really big game for us to get a piece of a league title.”
Clear Lake had a 5-0 lead going to the bottom of the fifth when Upper Lake loaded the bases with no outs and the heart of its batting order coming up. Wingler worked out of the jam with a strikeout, popup to the second baseman and a groundout.
Rylie Gabehart went 2-for-3 with a triple and a RBI and Heather White went 2-for-3 with a double to lead Clear Lake”s offense.
Losing pitcher Katherine Edmonds went 2-for-3 for Upper Lake.
Wingler struck out 11 and walked only one.
The Cardinals host NCL I North champion Fort Bragg on Thursday at 4 p.m. before hitting the road Friday to play Cloverdale. If Clear Lake and Cloverdale end up as co-champions, the two teams will play again on Saturday to determine who gets the league”s automatic berth into the NCS Division IV playoffs, which begin next week.
Clear Lake and Upper Lake won”t know until Sunday who they are playing and where in the opening round of the playoffs.
