LAKEPORT >> Clear Lake’s varsity baseball team hasn’t lost a game this season. Clear Lake’s softball team might not lose another.
Yes indeed, times are good right now for the Cardinals, who are perched atop the North Central League I standings until further notice. Both Clear Lake teams added to their run of successes on Tuesday at home against the St. Helena Saints. The baseball team won 13-3 to improve to 9-0 in league play and 19-0 overall while the softball squad won 12-0 and is now 8-1 in league and 12-5 overall.
Baseball
Clear Lake 13
St. Helena 3
At Lakeport, Clear Lake went 8-for-8 in stolen base opportunities while beating the St. Helena Saints in five innings. Matt Heller’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth ended the game as the 10-run rule was invoked.
“We stole bases, moved guys over and hit the ball pretty well,” Clear Lake coach Zane Jensen said. “The one thing we need to clean up is our defense. We made too many mistakes (four errors).”
Winning pitcher Dillon Williams, 5-0, worked four innings for the victory, allowing all of St. Helena’s runs and hits, striking out five and walking one. He also knocked in two runs.
Cole Brodnansky went 2-for-2, drove in four runs and scored three times for the Cardinals, who face a big road test on Friday at Kelseyville. Jared Strate went 2-for-3 with a RBI and stole three bases while Jake Egger went 1-for-2 with three RBIs and two stolen bases.
Cloverdale 6
Lower Lake 3
At Lower Lake, losing pitcher Ian Stiles went the distance and kept the Lower Lake Trojans close the entire way in a league loss to the Cloverdale Eagles (7-3).
“He pitched very well and kept us in the game,” Lower Lake coach John McCarthy said of Stiles, who allowed only five hits, struck out five and walked one.
Cloverdale scored twice in the top of the fourth to snap a 2-all tie. Lower Lake (1-10, 3-16) got one of those runs back in the bottom of the inning. The Eagles padded their lead with insurance runs in the sixth and seventh.
“We made crucial errors at crucial times,” McCarthy said.
Ryan McCarthy and Anthony Williams each went 1-for-4 with a RBI for Lower Lake.
St. Vincent 13
Upper Lake 1
At Upper Lake, Andreas Santos (2-for-3) had Upper Lake’s only two hits in a six-inning NCL II loss to the league-leading St. Vincent Mustangs.
Losing pitcher Cody Rybolt worked the first five innings, allowing seven runs, striking out five and walking seven.
Upper Lake is 1-6 in league and 3-11 overall.
Softball
Clear Lake 12
St. Helena 0
At Lakeport, emergency starter Crystal Zepeda went 3-for-3 with three runs scored and the Clear Lake Cardinals 10-runned the St. Helena Saints in five innings.
Zepeda replaced Shaynne Chapin (wisdom teeth) in right field.
“She took advantage of her opportunity,” Clear Lake coach Gary Pickle said.
Alicia Ledesma went 2-for-3 with a double and Courtney Hiatt went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and scored twice as Clear Lake won its eighth straight league contest.
Winning pitcher Rachel Wingler shut out the Saints on two hits, struck out seven and walked one.
Clear Lake did all of its scoring in the first three innings, including a six-run bottom of the third.
The Cardinals hit the road Friday to play Kelseyville.
Middletown 10
Kelseyville 0
At Middletown, Renee Edwards struck out six, leaving her one strikeout shy of 200 for the season, as the Middletown Mustangs rolled past the Kelseyville Knights in five innings.
Unlike the first meeting between the two teams, a 5-4 Kelseyville win on April 3 in Kelseyville, the rematch offered no such suspense. Edwards was in complete control throughout. She didn’t issue a walk and allowed only one hit, an infield single off the bat of Bib Hamner leading off the top of the second inning. That was the last baserunner of the game for the Knights (4-7, 6-11), who threatened in the top of the first when they put runners at the corners with only one out.
Middletown (5-4, 10-7) scored three times in the bottom of the first on a clutch two-out, three-run double by Olivia Glosser, daughter of Middletown coach Barry Glosser.
“It got us going,” Glosser said of his daughter’s bases-loaded hit to right field. “It got our wheels rolling.”
Middletown put the game away with a five-run third that featured a two-run double by Brittney Holt (2-for-4). The Mustangs added two more runs in the fourth.
“We’re not playing real good ball right now,” Kelseyville coach Jeff Bour said.
Both teams are home Friday. Middletown hosts Cloverdale (7-1) while Kelseyville hosts Clear Lake (8-1).
Calistoga 13
Upper Lake 3
At Upper Lake, the undefeated Calistoga Wildcats improved to 5-0 in the NCL II standings with a five-inning victory over the Upper Lake Cougars.
Upper Lake (2-2, 9-4) scored all of its runs in the bottom of the fifth. Ashley Aceves singled home the Cougars’ first run and Sierra Fugate followed with a two-run triple.
Losing pitcher Julia Mooney struck out four and walked four.
Gianna Lincoln-Pochini went 2-for-3 with a double, home run and four RBIs for Calistoga, which had five runs on the scoreboard before winning pitcher Hailey Butcher had thrown her first pitch.
Golf
St. Vincent 309
M’town 336
At Santa Rosa, St. Vincent completed a perfect run through the Coastal Mountain Conference South golf standings at the par-72 Oakmont West course. St. Vincent won all seven matches this season to finish 35-0. Middletown, the runner-up in all seven matches, ended up 28-7.
St. Vincent advances to the North Coast Section Championships on Monday at at Blue Rock Springs West in Vallejo. Advancing to the sectionals as individuals are Middletown’s Riley Adams, who had the lowest scoring average among golfers not on the championship team, and St. Helena’s Ryan Johnson and Middletown’s Chasen Tom, who combined for the low 36-hole scores during the CMC Championships, which encompass the final two matches of the season — last week at Windsor and Tuesday at Oakmont West. Johnson carded rounds of 74-69 for a 143 total and Tom finished at 155 (74-81), just one shot ahead of Kelseyville freshman Matt Wotherspoon (78-78 — 156).
Playing in perfect weather conditions at Oakmont West, St. Helena’s Johnson carded a 3-under-par 69 to lead all golfers. St. Vincent’s Jack Hook was next at even-par 72. Adams led Middletown with a 76 that featured two birdies. Wotherspoon’s round of 78 included three birdies.
Brian Holt’s 98 led Clear Lake, which tied St. Helena for fourth place in the final team standings. Dylan McGuire (101) had a birdie.
Following play, the CMC South released its All-Conference first and second teams. They will appear in the Record-Bee later this week.
JV baseball
Clear Lake 12
St. Helena 2
At St. Helena, Clear Lake beat the St. Helena Saints in NCL I action, improving to 7-3 in league play.
The Cardinals broke the game open with a six-run top of the fourth that featured a bases-loaded RBI single by Cody Dillsaver that turned into a big adventure. Dillsaver came all the way around to score on a series of St. Helena errors and had to scramble back to touch home plate after originally missing it while avoiding contact with the Saints’ catcher.
Isaac Maize pitched all seven innings for the victory. Jake Jackson and Hunter Dailey each had a pair of hits for the Cardinals, now 9-4 overall.
