UKIAH >> After beating Eureka 7-5 in eight innings in the consolation semifinals on Saturday, the Clear Lake Cardinals fell apart on defense and lost 8-5 to the Ukiah Wildcats in a final-round softball game at the Ukiah Tournament.
Clear Lake coach Doug Winger said it was eerily reminiscent of a 9-6 home loss to Ukiah on March 15 when the Wildcats took advantage of a defensive breakdown by the Cardinals in the top of the seventh to score six times.
This time around, Clear Lake took a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the fifth only to watch Ukiah rally for five runs. Once again it was the defense that did the Cardinals in. They finished the game with seven errors.
Losing pitcher Rachel Wingler allowed only one earned run while striking out seven. She also had one of the Cardinals’ five hits, a RBI double. Anessa Jack (1-for-2) drove in two runs.
Against Eureka earlier in the day, it was Jack’s two-run single in the top of the eighth that snapped a 5-all tie and provided the margin of difference in the game. Mina Werner’s two-run double in the top of the seventh gave Clear Lake a 5-3 lead, but Eureka rallied with two runs in the bottom half to force extra innings.
Wingler, who went the distance for the win, hit a solo home run in the top of the sixth to knot the score at 3. She finished with two hits as did Emily Omiotek.
In other action Saturday:
Baseball
Arcata 2, Clear Lake 1 (1st)
Arcata 14, Clear Lake 11 (2nd)
At Lakeport, the Arcata Huskies swept a non-league doubleheader from Clear Lake in varsity baseball action.
The first game was a pitcher’s duel won by Wyatt Tucker, who tossed a five-hitter and struck out 14. Clear Lake’s Brandon Coakley took the loss with a complete-game seven-hitter that featured five strikeouts and two walks.
Jake Jackson’s RBI single in the bottom of the fifth briefly tied the game at 1. Arcata scored the go-ahead run in the sixth.
Hunter Daily went 2-for-3 for the Cardinals.
In game two, Clear Lake led 8-2 after four innings and 8-3 through five only to fall apart on defense during an eight-run Arcata sixth.
Cody Dillsaver went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Tyler Manning went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs. The hardest hit ball of the game was a pinch-hit three-run home run by Coakley in the bottom of the sixth that tied the game at 11. The blast landed on the blacktop beyond right field.
Arcata went ahead to stay with three runs in the seventh.
In action on Monday:
JV baseball
Willits 8, Clear Lake 5
At Willits, Jason Garrison went 3-for-4 and Abraham Ojeda went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, but Clear Lake fell to Willits in junior varsity baseball action on Monday.
Clear Lake had a 5-3 lead after two innings. Isaac Lewis went 2-for-2 for the Cardinals and Kyle Ashworth added a double and two RBIs.
It was the league opener for both teams.
