LAKEPORT >> On the bright side, the Clear Lake Cardinals won’t have to deal with the game-to-game pressure that was part of last year’s run of 26 straight wins to open the season.
Graduation — and the McKinleyville Panthers — took care of that on Friday in Lakeport as Clear Lake, 26-1 a year ago with a senior-dominated squad, dropped both ends of a season-opening non-league doubleheader, losing 7-3 in the opener and 14-0 in game two.
To say the Cardinals (0-2) have a different look this season would be something of an understatement. They graduated 11 of the 15 players listed on their 2015 roster, including three of their four starting pitchers and nearly all of their position players.
“We’re young and starting a lot of juniors. We have a sophomore who starts … they were all JVs last year,” Clear Lake coach Zane Jensen said. “The one thing I can say about this team is they are very coachable and they want to learn. I’m excited about that.”
Clear Lake’s youth certainly showed on Friday against a solid McKinleyville squad that already had a couple of games under its belt this season. Locked in a 2-2 tie with the Panthers (2-1) going to the top of the fourth inning in game one, Clear Lake dropped two infield popups for errors – their only two of the game – to set up a four-run McKinleyville rally.
“The fourth killed us,” Jensen said.
Clear Lake led 2-1 after one inning.
Tyler Manning, Jake Jackson and Hunter Daily each went 2-for-4 for the Cardinals in the opener. Isaac Maize took the loss, working the first 3 2/3 innings.
In game two, McKinleyville overpowered Clear Lake in a game called after five innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.
Losing pitcher Ryan Damiata allowed five runs through the first three innings. Reliever Nate Jones worked the final two and was roughed up for nine runs.
“We were hanging around in the beginning,” Jensen said of the 1-0 deficit the Cardinals faced heading into the third inning. “They (Panthers) did a good job of hitting in that second game. They squared up a lot of our pitches.”
Clear Lake managed only three hits against McKinleyville ace Trevor Garrison singles by Maize, Cody Dillsaver and John Vertrees.
The Cardinals are back at it today when they host Healdsburg at 1 p.m.
