CLOVERDALE >> Dillon Williams blanked the Cloverdale Eagles on four hits while Jake Egger and Cole Brodnansky drove in three runs apiece on Tuesday as the Clear Lake Cardinals remained perfect on the season with a 14-0 victory in the North Central League I opener for both of these varsity baseball teams at Cloverdale’s City Park.
Clear Lake improved to 7-0 overall with another masterful pitching display. Williams struck out seven and walked only one.
“He had all three of his pitches working … fastball, slider, changeup … and he stayed ahead in 90 percent of his counts,” Clear Lake coach Zane Jensen said. “He threw first-pitch strikes and he did a fantastic job.”
The Cardinals took all the suspense out of this one early, scoring four times in the top of the first inning and five more times in the second for a 9-0 lead. The only Cloverdale threat came in the bottom of the third with runners at the corners and two outs. Surprisingly the Eagles attempted to steal second base down nine runs and Clear Lake’s Brodnansky gunned down the runner to end the inning.
“That was a mistake,” Jensen said.
Brodnansky did not allow a stolen base on the day while Clear Lake stole seven bases against the Eagles (0-1). Clear Lake’s veteran catcher also went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and scored twice. Egger singled and doubled in four trips to the plate. Like Brodnansky he scored twice and drove in three runs.
Clear Lake capped its league-opening win with a five-run top of the seventh. The Cardinals finished with 13 hits, including two each by Egger, Brodnansky, Williams and Jared Strate, who scored three times.
“They played very well,” Jensen said of his players. “They put in a lot of work in the summer months and in the fall and it’s starting to pay off a little bit.”
Clear Lake returns home Friday to play Willits at 4 p.m.
In other baseball action Tuesday:
Softball
Cloverdale 2
Clear Lake 0
At Cloverdale, Teanne Edens overpowered Clear Lake’s batters, shutting them down on two hits while striking out 13 as the Eagles, two-time defending NCL I champions, beat the Cardinals for the fifth time in a row in league play.
“She moved the ball in and out really well,” Clear Lake coach Gary Pickle said of Edens. “We were kind of overmatched today. She was pretty much in control the whole game.”
Clear Lake (0-1, 3-3) advanced only one runner to third base and never mounted a significant threat against Cloverdale’s ace, who allowed singles to Alicia Ledesma in the second inning and to Emily Psalmonds in the seventh.
Ledesma (1-for-3) was the only batter in Clear Lake’s lineup who made solid contact against Edens on the day.
Edens’ battery mate, catcher Jordyn Turner, accounted for the game’s only two runs when she homered to center field with one out in the bottom of the first inning. Clear Lake center fielder Hannah Norwood had the ball in her glove before running into the fence, the collision jarring it loose.
“She had her glove on the ball at the point her ribs hit the fence,” Pickle said.
Losing pitcher Rachel Wingler blanked the Eagles on two hits the rest of the way but didn’t get any offensive support from her teammates. The junior did receive some defensive help, including a third-to-first-to-home double play to end the bottom of the second.
Wingler struck out four and walked four.
“We played some nice defense today but we didn’t hit the ball,” Pickle said. “You can’t win if you can’t score and we didn’t come close.”
The Cardinals return home Thursday to play Willits at 4 p.m. If they win, it will be Pickle’s 400th career victory at Clear Lake.
St. Helena 9
Kelseyville 5
At Kelseyville, the St. Helena Saints had only three hits but made the most of 13 walks issued by Kelseyville pitcher Morgan Profitt to beat the Knights in the league opener for both teams.
St. Helena (1-0) scored three times in the top of the sixth to wipe out a 5-3 Kelseyville lead and added three more runs in the seventh to seal the victory.
The Knights (0-1, 2-4) pushed ahead with a four-run fifth inning and just missed adding to that lead when Tymeka Green, batting with the bases loaded and two outs, hit a deep fly to the fence in left-center field for the final out of the inning.
“We left nine more runners on bases after leaving 16 on base in our last game (a doubleheader) against Fort Bragg,” Kelseyville coach Jeff Bour said. “We can’t get a timely hit.”
The Knights also need to tighten up their pitching.
“We can’t walk that many batters,” Bour said of Profitt, who struck out six and also hit two.
Riley Goff and Bib Hamner each went 2-for-4 with a double and a RBI for the Knights, who had 11 hits in all.
Kelseyville returns to action Thursday in Cloverdale at 4 p.m.
Tennis
Middletown 4
Cloverdale 1
At Hidden Valley Lake, the Middletown Mustangs beat the Cloverdale Eagles to improve to 3-0 in the Coastal Mountain Conference standings. No. 1 singles player Chris King led the way, rallying from a 5-3 deficit and facing set point to stun Cloverdale’s Aiden Reynolds 7-6 (7-4), 6-0.
“Chris changed up his game and stopped pounding the ball from the baseline,” Middletown coach Vic Wroobel said. “He started hitting deep to the corners and making Aiden move all over the court.”
King also took some speed off his first serve and used a slower, top-spin heavy first serve to get the ball into play, according to Wroobel.
King used the same strategy in the second set to post a straight-set victory over Cloverdale’s top threat.
Middletown also won in second singles — Robert Amante beat Paige Wosniak 6-0, 6-0 — and in third singles — Trevor Smith defeated Pedro Sanchez 6-2, 6-1.
In doubles action, it was Middletown’s Jonny Nance and Ari Diaz posting a 6-3, 6-4 victory in first doubles. Cloverdale’s Everett Conway and Derick Rilea beat Elena Garay and Christian Nikolov 6-4, 6-1 in second doubles.
Middletown doesn’t play against until April 8 when it hosts Kelseyville.
St. Helena 5
Kelseyville 0
At Kelseyville, the powerhouse St. Helena Saints rolled past the Kelseyville Knights in CMC action.
“I knew it would be tough but I didn’t think we would get bageled,” Kelseyville coach Laurie Vargas said. “They are really good.”
The most competitive match of the day was in No. 3 singles where Sophia Sakopoulos beat Mary McCallister 6-3, 6-2. In other singles action, Rory Winters beat Drew Ashby 6-2, 6-0 in No. 1 singles and Natalie Stanton defeated Claire Vargas 6-1, 6-1 in No. 2 singles.
In doubles play, Andrew Raunegger and Drew Davies were 6-0, 6-1 winners over Merin Rixen and Emma Farrell in first doubles. Easton Ellis and Lucas Lyons beat Milly Cacho and Ferni Garcia 6-1, 6-0 in second doubles.
Kelseyville is 0-3 in conference play.
JV baseball
Clear Lake 13
Cloverdale 1
At Lakeport, Ryan Damiata and Jason Garrison combined on a two-hitter as the Clear Lake junior varsity baseball squad routed the Cloverdale Eagles in the league opener for both teams.
Clear Lake is 4-0 overall.
Damiata started and worked the first three innings of the five-inning game to notch the victory, He struck out four. Garrison relieved and allowed no hits over the final two innings.
Isaac Maize powered Clear Lake’s offense with three hits, including two doubles and three RBIs. Alex Adams went 2-for-3 with three RBIs.
Lower Lake 4
Fort Bragg 3
At Lower Lake, Ethan Watson’s bases-loaded single with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning snapped a 3-all tie and lifted the Lower Lake Trojans to a league-opening victory over the Fort Bragg Timberwolves.
Hokulani Wickard pitched four shutout innings in relief of starter Eric Graves to notch the win. Wickard allowed two hits, struck out five and walked one.
Antonio Padilla scored the winning run.
Lower Lake is 3-3 overall.
