ST. HELENA — Emily Wingler pitched a two-hitter and Kelcie Reynolds went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs on Tuesday as the Clear Lake Cardinals beat the St. Helena Saints 11-0 in five innings to clinch the undisputed North Central League I South softball championship at St. Helena.
It”s Clear Lake”s third straight league title, including a co-championship with St. Vincent in 2009, and the Cardinals” 22nd straight South victory. Their last loss was a 9-8 setback to St. Vincent in the 2009 league opener.
“It feels good,” Clear Lake coach Gary Pickle said. “It”s a fun team to coach and they enjoy playing together.”
The Cardinals have four undisputed championships (2006, ”07, ”10, ”11) and one co-championship (”09) in the last six seasons. With one league game remaining this season (today at home against Upper Lake), the Cardinals are on the verge of wrapping up another undefeated South campaign (joining the ”06, ”07 and ”10 teams).
The 2007 squad went 27-0.
“No it doesn”t,” Pickle answered when asked if winning so many league titles ever loses its luster. “It always feels good.”
Although Clear Lake, now 16-2 overall, struggled at the plate against the Saints with only seven hits, the Cardinals more than compensated with their pitching and defense.
Wingler struck out three and walked only one. Her defense committed only error while also turning a 6-4-3 double play in the fourth inning and throwing out a runner trying for a triple to open the fifth.
“It went 8-4-5,” Pickle said of the putout. “It was a real nice relay by (second baseman Heather) White.”
Rebecca Baker (1-for-4) drove in two of the Cardinals” runs.
In other softball action Tuesday:
Cloverdale 21, Upper Lake 4
At Cloverdale, the Cloverdale Eagles led 13-0 after two innings and beat the Upper Lake Cougars in NCL I South action.
Upper Lake (0-6, 2-13) had all three of its hits and scored all of its runs in the top of the third inning. Cloverdale scored eight times in the bottom of the fourth and the game was called after 4 ? innings because of the 10-run rule.
Baseball
St. Helena 6, Clear Lake 3
At St. Helena, Alex Quirici hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning to wipe out a 1-0 Clear Lake lead and the St. Helena Saints beat the Cardinals in NCL I South action.
It was the league finale for the Cardinals, who finish 3-5. St. Helena improved to 5-2.
Clear Lake grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a Steven Edwards RBI single. Edwards (2-for-4) and Tanner Mansell (2-for-4) also singled home runs in the top of the fifth as the Cardinals cut a 4-1 deficit to 4-3.
Losing pitcher Oren Ruffcorn went the distance, striking out three and walking one.
St. Vincent 17, Kelseyville 7
At Petaluma, NCL I North leader Kelseyville took a 7-1 lead into the bottom of the second inning only to get 10-runned by the St. Vincent Mustangs in five innings.
Kelseyville (14-6) took a seven-game winning streak into the NCL I interlock contest.
“We”ll be OK,” Kelseyville coach Lou Poloni said.
Trailing 7-2 going to the bottom of the third, St. Vincent exploded for 10 runs.
“We just couldn”t get out of the inning,” Poloni said. “And we had trouble throwing strikes after that.”
St. Vincent added four more runs in the fourth and another in the fifth.
Dustin Thaxton stayed red-hot at the plate for Kelseyville, going 3-for-3 with a double and a RBI. Max Huff went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs.
Jeff Matthews hit a three-run homer for the Mustangs (17-5) and Stewart Perry added a solo shot.
JV baseball
Lower Lake 5, Middletown 1
At Clearlake, John Peters hit a two-run double in the bottom of the second to put Lower Lake ahead to stay and Jared Thompson tripled home two more runs later in the same inning to power the Trojans to a NCL I North junior varsity baseball win over the Middletown Mustangs.
Lower Lake”s four-run second wiped out a 1-0 Middletown lead. The Trojans (4-2 league, 8-9 overall) added an insurance run in the sixth.
Winning pitcher Zeff Roofner worked the first five innings for the victory.
Middletown is 4-2 in league and 10-6 overall.
