MIDDLETOWN >> It started out much better than it ended for the Middletown Mustangs as they hosted the Clear Lake Cardinals in a North Central League I softball game on a windy Thursday afternoon in Middletown.
The Mustangs led 2-1 after one inning against the defending NCL I champions but ended up losing 16-3 in five innings after experiencing a complete defensive meltdown in the top of the fifth when the Cardinals sent 16 batters to the plate and scored 11 runs – every single one of them unearned.
Physical errors, one huge mental one, wild pitches, passed balls and the only two walks issued by losing pitcher Olivia Glosser set the table for the Cardinals (3-0, 8-4), who certainly helped themselves once the Mustangs opened the door by banging out seven hits in the inning.
“I told them to have a short memory and forget about that inning,” Middletown coach Barry Glosser said of his young team – only three senior starters. “I want them to remember what they did well in the first four innings.”
It was every bit a game — 5-3 in Clear Lake’s favor — in those first four innings.
“Any league game you have to come prepared to play from the first pitch and Middletown came right after us and attacked us in that first inning,” Clear Lake coach Doug Wingler said. “The thing that I like is that every time they scored, we answered back.”
Clear Lake’s productive offense — 16 hits — was fueled by its three slap hitters, who were a combined 8-for-11 with two RBIs. Shyanne Chapin, who bats second in Clear Lake’s order, went 4-for-4 while Emily Omiotek, who bats ninth, went 3-for-4.
“Our slappers set the table,” Wingler said of Chapin, Omiotek and leadoff hitter Mina Werner. “I thought they did a great job of speeding up the game.”
And one thing the Cardinals have in abundance is team speed, which they used to great effect against Middletown.
“We ran the bases well and did a good job of taking the extra base,” Wingler said. “The one thing we have is speed and any time we’re able we’re going to use it and put pressure on the other team’s defense like we did today.”
Eleven different Clear Lake players had at least one hit, including all nine starters.
“We don’t have much depth,” Glosser said in pointing out one of the big differences between the two teams.
Clear Lake jumped ahead 1-0 in the top of the first on a RBI single by Courtney Hiatt, but back came Middletown in the bottom half. With runners at second and third and only one out, the result of earlier singles by Aly Ferguson and Brittney Holt, Gracie Armstrong hit a grounder to shortstop that was going to score one run but ended up scoring two when the ball was booted for an error.
The Cardinals responded with two runs of their own in the top of the second. After Emily Psalmonds led off the inning with a triple to deep right field, she scored on a passed ball. Omiotek singled with one out, stole second and went to third on a groundout before trotting home on a Chapin single that made it 3-2 in Clear Lake’s favor.
Clear Lake boosted its lead to 5-2 in the fourth. Hits by Omiotek and Werner had the Cardinals in business and both ended up scoring on passed balls.
Before the Cardinals could blink, Middletown struck for a run in the bottom of the fourth on a one-out triple by Hannah Flynn to deep right field and Glosser’s RBI grounder.
The top of the fifth should have ended with Clear Lake scoring just one unearned run, but with two outs and a runner at third base, Werner hit a routine comebacker to Glosser, who threw home instead of to first base for the easy out. While the throw arrived ahead of the runner on what needed to be a tag play because no force was in order, the ball glanced off the catcher’s glove for an error. The Cardinals followed with three straight hits and four in the next five batters to bust the game wide open.
Middletown did its share of the work too by failing to catch the ball or accurately throw it on several occasions. The inning mercifully ended when Alicia Ledesma, batting for the second time in the fifth, grounded out.
Middletown put two runners aboard in the bottom of the fifth with one out, but winning pitcher Rachel Wingler retired the final two batters she faced. Wingler allowed five hits and two earned runs, struck out seven and walked none. Glosser struck out one and walked two. She allowed only three earned runs.
