LAKEPORT >> Airtight pitching, timely hitting and flawless defense made it a special day for the Lower Lake Trojans on Saturday against the Clear Lake Cardinals in the North Central League I and regular-season finale for both of these teams at Lakeport.
Looking to close out a 14-0 league campaign were the Clear Lake Cardinals under the direction of first-year coach Doug Wingler. Looking to play the spoiler’s role were the Lower Lake Trojans under veteran coach Chris Emberson, who watched his team play its best game of the season and emerge with a 3-0 victory, the school’s first against Clear Lake in softball since 1993.
To put things in their proper perspective, the last time the Trojans (11-3 league, 18-6 overall) beat the Cardinals (13-1, 18-5), none of the players on either team were born and Lower Lake’s head coach was still in grade school.
“I can’t tell you how good it is to win this game, to ruin their undefeated season,” said Emberson, who is good friends with his Clear Lake counterpart Wingler. “Beating Clear Lake or Cloverdale in softball is like beating Middletown in football. It doesn’t happen very often.”
Emberson said the Trojans did the one thing he has been looking for his teams to do against Clear Lake for several years.
“We finally strung together seven innings of good softball,” he said. “This game was all about the ‘we and not me’ mentality we preach.”
“Mock did a great job of hitting her spots,” Clear Lake’s Wingler said of Lower Lake starting pitcher Ashlynn Mock, who pitched the best game of her career, according to Emberson. “By hitting her spots she kept us off balance. We put some balls into play but they fielded everything we hit at them. You have to score a run to win and we didn’t do that against her.”
Mock allowed just five hits, all singles, while striking out two and walking two. She worked out of a couple of jams in the fourth and seventh innings. In the bottom of the fourth, Clear Lake was trailing 2-0 but had the potential tying runs in scoring position when Mock retired Emily Psalmonds on a flyout to center field.
In the Clear Lake seventh, Madi Ferguson drew out a one-out walk — the first issued by Mock in the game — only to be erased on what appeared to be a single up the middle by No. 9 hitter Emily Omiotek, who hit a hard liner that deflected off the second baseman’s glove. Ferguson hesitated before breaking for second base and was forced out there, perhaps the biggest out of the game. That play became even more significant when the next batter, Mina Werner, drew a walk. Instead of having the bases loaded loaded with one out in a 3-0 game and the heart of their batting order coming up, the Cardinals were left with runners at first and second with two outs.
After Emberson met with his pitcher at the mound, Mock ended it by getting Shyanne Chapin on a comebacker. As she completed the throw to first baseman Kristen Celli for the final out, Lower Lake’s dugout and sideline exploded in celebration.
“It was a bad break for us the ball was hit so hard,” Wingler said of Omiotek’s 8-4 force play that retired Ferguson.
Lower Lake grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Mock opened with a single, stole second and scored on Destiny Apodaca’s RBI single. The Trojans added to their lead on a one-out Mock RBI single in the fourth and went up 3-0 in the fifth thanks to a Lily Griffin leadoff double and a one-out RBI single by Azuree Meza. The Trojans might have picked up another run or two in the inning if not for a baserunning mistake.
Even so, Mock and the Lower Lake defense made sure the lead would stand up. Apodaca, the Lower Lake catcher, first baseman Celli and shortstop Jolean Scarborough all made great plays in the field to help keep the Cardinals off the scoreboard and just a tad frustrated at the plate.
Losing pitcher Rachel Wingler ended up allowing seven hits while striking out nine and walking none. She’s won many a game with worse numbers this season and during her excellent four-year career with the Cardinals, but Lower Lake’s Mock — backed by her teammates — simply was better on this day.
“I can’t stay enough about how well Mock threw the ball today,” Emberson said.
With both teams headed to the playoffs — Clear Lake as the NCL I champion and Lower Lake as an at-large team (see story on Page A6) — Wingler said the Cardinals simply need to put this game behind them and get ready for the postseason as they begin pursuit of a second straight sectional championship.
“I told the seniors after the game this doesn’t diminish everything you’ve accomplished this season,” Wingler said. “I was hoping the seniors could win their last (league) home game, but Lower Lake played a great game and all the credit goes to them and Chris. Now we have to focus on the playoffs.”
