KELSEYVILLE >> The conditions didn’t seem right – wind blowing in most of the day – for Emily Psalmonds to do what she did on Thursday afternoon as the Clear Lake Cardinals beat the Kelseyville Knights 15-2 to win the outright North Central League I softball championship.
Psalmonds, the diminutive senior second baseman for the Cardinals, belted a three-run home run into a stiff breeze to cap an eight-run second inning and give her team an 11-0 lead.
Even Psalmonds didn’t believe it at first as she pulled up at second base thinking the ball had bounced over the fence for a ground-rule double. With the base umpire making a circular motion with his finger to indicate home run, Psalmonds quickly figured it out and continued her round trip of the bases while her teammates waited to mob her at home plate.
It was the first home run of her four-year varsity career.
“She’s been staying out and working hard,” Clear Lake coach Doug Wingler said of Psalmonds. “Her three best offensive games have been in her last three games, so it’s nice to see her putting it all together.”
Psalmonds finished with four RBIs overall as she walked to force in a run in the top of the fifth.
Clear Lake (13-0 league, 18-4 overall) needs a win on Saturday at home against Lower Lake to complete a perfect run through the NCL I standings. While the Cardinals are guaranteed a spot in next week’s North Coast Section Division IV playoffs for winning league, Kelseyville (7-7, 10-7) also will apply for an at-large berth even though its veteran pitcher quit the team earlier in the week.
The way Kelseyville coach Jeff Bour sees it, it’s a perfect opportunity to reward his one remaining senior — Brendelyn Pelzel — and a chance to show his underclassmen what the playoff atmosphere is all about.
“Besides that, I don’t know how long it’s been since Kelseyville last went to the playoffs,” Bour said. “And I definitely expect be in the playoffs next year.”
Kelseyville will find out on Sunday if it has secured a spot in the playoffs.
Reaching the postseason is nothing new for the Cardinals, who won the Division V title in coach Gary Pickle’s final season in 2015. They are back up in Division IV this year, which means the road to a second straight championship will be tougher.
“Gary used to tell me that Division IV is one of the toughest divisions,” Wingler said.
Clear Lake did win the Division IV title in 2007 when the Cardinals went 27-0.
“I think they’ve got a good shot at going all the way,” Bour said of the Cardinals.
Kelseyville did its best to put up a fight against Clear Lake, scratching out five hits against Clear Lake ace Rachel Wingler, who struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter. Bib Hamner went 2-for-2 while Pelzel, Kaleigh Nunn and and Brisa Villa added hits.
The Knights nicked Wingler for two unearned runs in the bottom of the third when they collected three of their hits. A two-base throwing error following the third hit allowed both runs to score, but the second runner to cross the plate, Pelzel, sustained a knee injury on her slide and had to leave the game.
Pelzel pitched the first three innings for Kelseyville before giving way to Tymeka Green. Pelzel struck out two and walked nine while Green struck out two and walked four.
“Tymeka threw the ball pretty well for not having a pitcher’s frame of mind,” Bour said.
Kelseyville’s coach said he was proud of both pitchers given they’ve spent their high school careers playing other positions and are filling in on an emergency basis.
“Jeff is doing a great job with his team,” Wingler said. “It’s too bad what happened to him, but to see how well his kids are handling it, that’s commendable. They are facing some adversity right now and they are stepping up.”
