LAKEPORT — Morgan Psalmonds and Rebecca Baker set the tone with back-to-back singles to open the bottom of the first inning and the Clear Lake Cardinals took care of the St. Helena Saints 11-1 in a five-inning North Central League I South softball game on Monday afternoon in Lakeport.
Clear Lake improved to 3-0 in the South standings and 11-0 overall without its starting catcher and with starting pitcher Emily Wingler a bit under the weather, according to Clear Lake coach Gary Pickle.
Catcher Kelcie Reynolds, a freshman, sustained a broken nose in warm-ups on Friday before the Cardinals” 9-5 victory over St. Vincent. Although she played in that game, she was held out of the St. Helena contest for precautionary reasons, one being that she also sustained a concussion when the ball broke her nose.
“She wanted to play today, too,” Pickle said. “She”ll be able to play in our next game.”
Wingler, a junior, did not feel well early Monday and didn”t have her best stuff against the Saints, according to Pickle.
“She kind of had to battle today … she didn”t have her best stuff,” Pickle said of Wingler, who nevertheless managed to stop the Saints on two hits while striking out four and walking three. “She fought her way through it.”
After pitching a scoreless first inning, Wingler was staked to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the inning. Psalmonds led off with a single and Baker, who was 4-for-4 on the day with two RBIs, followed with a bunt single. Heather White”s grounder scored Psalmonds and a passed ball brought home Baker.
Clear Lake added three more runs in the second, one in the third, two in the fourth and three in the fifth when the game was called because of the 10-run rule.
The Cardinals finished with 12 hits. Besides Baker, White went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and Wingler helped out her own cause with a double and two RBIs.
Valerie Strate filled in for Reynolds behind the plate and turned in a solid effort, according to Pickle, who said he entered the game “concerned” with his normal battery of Wingler-Reynolds not intact.
The weather was another concern, according to Pickle.
“It was pretty wet before the game, but when they (Saints) got there (to the field), it got real nice,” Pickle said.
The light rain softened the dirt infield without creating muddy conditions, which was ideal for both teams, according to Pickle.
“The field was in real good shape,” Pickle said.
Clear Lake was scheduled to host Upper Lake in a South game today, but that game will be made up at a later date.
In other softball action Monday:
n Winters 14
Lower Lake 1
At Lower Lake, Ash-lynne Neil tossed a two-hitter and went 3-for-4 at the plate with a triple, home run and five RBIs as Winters of the Northern Section beat the Lower Lake Trojans in a non-league game.
“Just a quality team,” Lower Lake coach Tim Sherrell said. “Many of their players play year-round and it shows.”
Neil hit a three-run home run as part of a four-run Winters second inning to make it a 7-0 game. She went the distance for the win, striking out four and walking one.
“She hits the corners and has good speed,” Sherrell said.
Adrina Miller doubled in the bottom of the second and Selena Ledesma singled in the third for Lower Lake”s only hits. The Trojans broke up the shutout with a run in the bottom of the fourth.
Losing pitcher Kristen Garcia worked the first three innings, striking out three and walking three.
Lower Lake travels to Healdsburg on Wednesday for a game against the Greyhounds at 4 p.m.
Baseball
n Healdsburg 10
Clear Lake 7
At Lakeport, in a non-league varsity baseball game Saturday, the Cardinals fell to the Healdsburg Greyhounds, who held a 10-4 lead at one point.
Each team had 12 hits in the slugfest. Clear Lake”s Tanner Mansell went 4-for-4 with a double and a RBI while Joey Blair and Tyler Davis each had two hits. Catcher Tyler Beets went 1-for-3 with two RBIs and threw out three runners on the basepaths.
Clear Lake right fielder Steven Wilcox caught a fly ball and doubled off a Healdsburg runner at first to end the top of the seventh.
Ryan Rochioli went 3-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs for the Greyhounds (9-4).
The Cardinals were scheduled to play St. Helena in NCL I South action on Monday in Lakeport, however, no results were reported to the Record-Bee as of its 10 p.m. editorial deadline. Clear Lake is home today to play Upper Lake at 4 p.m.
