CLOVERDALE — Chad Elliston and Oren Ruffcorn combined on a two-hit shutout as the Clear Lake Cardinals beat the Cloverdale Eagles 2-0 in a North Central League I varsity baseball game on Tuesday at City Park.
Three of Clear Lake”s last four victories have been shutouts. The Cardinals improved to 4-1 in league play and 8-5 overall. With St. Helena losing to Kelseyville on Tuesday (see story, Page A6), the Cardinals find themselves just a half-game out of the league lead.
Elliston worked 6 2/3 innings for the victory, striking out three and walking one. Ruffcorn relieved with two outs and runners at first and second in the bottom of the seventh and struck out the only batter he faced to record his second save of the season.
Ruffcorn”s RBI single in the top of the fourth gave Clear Lake a 1-0 lead and he also doubled leading off the top of the sixth before scoring on a single by Jake Dekeyser.
In other baseball action Tuesday:
Willits 8, Middletown 7
At Willits, needing a victory against Willits to move into a first-place with St. Helena atop the NCL I standings, the Middletown Mustangs stumbled against the Wolverines, who were 0-7 in league play entering the game.
The Wolverines (1-7) scored two runs in the bottom off the fifth to tie the game at 7. With runners at second and third and two outs in the seventh, a Willits batter hit a slow dribbler to the left of the mound that pitcher Blaine Amos couldn”t handle cleanly, the winning run scoring on the play.
Earlier in the game Amos hit a two-run home run in the top of the third to give Middletown (4-2, 8-7) a 4-3 lead.
Fort Bragg 8, Lower Lake 1
At Fort Bragg, the Fort Bragg Timberwolves scored all eight of their runs in the bottom of the third inning in a league win over the Lower Lake Trojans, who jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first.
“We walked some guys and they got some timely hits,” Lower Lake coach John Miller said of Fort Bragg”s big third inning.
Jon Duncan”s RBI groundout in the top of the first accounted for the Trojans” lone run.
Losing pitcher Josh McCarty worked the first 2 2/3 innings before giving way to Duncan.
Duncan, Johnny Meza, Ryan Dahneke, Thaddeus Wetmore and Tony Fonseca had one hit apiece for Lower Lake (1-6, 6-8).
Upper Lake 11, Sonoma Academy 2
At Santa Rosa, Scott Menan went 4-for-5 with two RBI and Jared Wade also went 4-for-5 as the Upper Lake Cougars beat the Sonoma Academy Coyotes under the lights at Doyle Park in NCL II action.
Upper Lake improved to 3-1 in the league standings and 3-5 overall.
Winning pitcher Stoney Timmons pitched all seven innings for the victory. He helped himself at the plate by going 3-for-5 with three RBI. Timmons also received plenty of support from his defense, which didn”t commit an error.
“Our defense was pretty solid tonight,” Upper Lake coach Martin Wade said.
Upper Lake had a 5-0 lead before Timmons threw his first pitch in the bottom of the first. The Cougars led 8-0 after two innings.
Timmons finished with eight strikeouts and four walks.
Monty Orozco went 2-for-4 with a double for Upper Lake.
Softball
Kelseyville 7, St. Helena 3
At Kelseyville, the Kelseyville Knights erased a 3-2 deficit with a five-run bottom of the fifth and beat the St. Helena Saints in NCL I softball action.
Jennifer Green went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI for Kelseyville (3-3, 6-5). Her double in the bottom of the sixth just missed being a home run, ricocheting off the very top of the center field fence. Kyra Rudnick went 3-for-4 with a double and a RBI and Alyssa Mick went 3-for-3 with a RBI for the Knights, who trailed 3-1 after three innings.
Willits 5, Middletown 3
At Willits, the Willits Wolverines beat the Middletown Mustangs in a game played under protest by Middletown head coach Bob Cummesky.
The protest came in the top of the fourth. The Mustangs were trailing 4-3 and had the tying run on base with one out and Maria Castaldo at the plate. Castaldo was facing a 1-2 count when she attempted to switch from the left to the right-handed batter”s box. The umpire ruled she couldn”t do it and Cummesky protested the game. Castaldo went on to strike out.
Cheyanne Horvath and Madi Hicks each went 3-for-4 with a RBI for the Mustangs, who drop to 1-4 in league play and 4-10 overall pending the appeal.
If the appeal is upheld, the game will resume with Castaldo at the plate in the top of the fourth and Middletown trailing 4-3.
