FORT BRAGG — Emily Wingler”s two-out, two-run single in the top of the seventh inning helped rally the Clear Lake Cardinals past the Fort Bragg Timberwolves 6-5 in a North Central League I softball thriller Thursday afternoon in Fort Bragg.
Clear Lake added a third run in the seventh when pinch-runner Valerie Strate scored on a two-strike bunt single by Savannah Dekeyser.
“We kind of caught them back on their heels on that one,” Clear Lake coach Gary Pickle said of the Timberwolf defense. “They weren”t expecting it.”
That insurance run, which gave Clear Lake a 6-4 lead, turned out to be the game-winning run as the Timberwolves (0-1) mounted a threat of their own in the bottom of the seventh. They pushed across a run to make it 6-5 and had the potential tying run on second base when shortstop Coree Alexander made a nice play to throw out a Fort Bragg player and end the game.
“The ball (sharp grounder) nearly hit off Emily”s glove,” Pickle said. “Coree did a nice job to get to it and throw out the runner.”
While Wingler”s two-run single was the big blow during the seventh-inning rally, a leadoff single by pinch-hitter Hannah Boyd sparked a stagnant Clear Lake offense.
“That was the hit we were looking for to get us going,” Pickle said. “She didn”t mess around up there. She fouled off the first two pitches and then hit a high pitch for a single.”
Clear Lake took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first on a two-run double by Vanessa Tullos and a RBI single by Wingler. The Cardinals missed a chance to open up a big lead in the third when they loaded the bases with no outs but failed to score.
“We didn”t do anything after that until the seventh,” Pickle said of his offense.
Fort Bragg pulled to 3-2 with two runs in the bottom of the third and went ahead 4-3 with two runs in the fifth.
Wingler struck out five, walked two and allowed one earned run.
“Emily didn”t have her best day on the mound but she did have a good day at the plate,” Pickle said.
Clear Lake”s overall effort wasn”t as it good as it could have been, according to Pickle.
“We didn”t play our best game over there today. We”re very fortunate to get out of there with a win. Fort Bragg is going to be in the mix (in the league race). They”re good,” Pickle added.
Besides Wingler, Morgan Psalmonds also had two hits for the Cardinals.
Cherie Ryden went 3-for-4 for Fort Bragg.
