SANTA ROSA >> Drawing Cardinal Newman High School of Santa Rosa in a first-round North Coast Section Division IV softball game was Lower Lake’s first bad break. Playing them was the second.
Cardinal Newman beat Lower Lake 10-0 in five innings on Tuesday in Santa Rosa, ending the Trojans’ season at 18-7.
The Cardinals (16-9), the No. 6 seed in the Division IV field, advance to the quarterfinals on Friday against No. 3 St. Patrick-St. Vincent (17-8).
Lower Lake, the third-place finisher in the North Central League I this season at 11-3 and a 3-0 winner over league champion Clear Lake in its regular-season finale on Saturday, made it to the quarterfinals a year ago after beating St. Mary’s of Albany 5-3 in a first-round game. The Trojans were eliminated by eventual section champion Marin Catholic 3-1.
“This is a different team,” Lower Lake coach Chris Emberson said. “The only thing I was disappointed with today were the errors we made in the first inning. I can take it when another team hits the ball against you, just don’t help them out.”
Emberson was referring to Cardinal Newman’s four-run bottom of the first, an inning that began well enough when Lower Lake pitcher Ashlynn Mock struck out the first batter she faced. The next batter singled following a 10-pitch at-bat, then an error on a tailor-made double play ball, the first of two Lower Lake errors in the inning, set the wheels in motion for the Cardinals’ offense.
“We probably should have been out of there with only two runs scored,” Emberson said.
Mock retired Cardinal Newman in order in the second and third innings. It looked like the fourth might go that way too as Mock got the first two batters. That’s when it all went south for the Trojans.
“Four straight hits and three walks,” Emberson said as Newman pushed four more runs across the plate for an 8-0 lead.
Winning pitcher Lexie Raasch, a senior and the co-most valuable player in the North Bay League this season, surely appreciated the extra run support although she didn’t need it.
“She’s got a really good rise ball and a really good curve,” Emberson said. “Definitely the best pitcher we’ve faced.”
Raasch allowed just two hits – singles to Kristen Celli and Destiny Apodaca — struck out nine and walked two. She faced just two batters over the minimum for a five-inning game.
“We didn’t even get through our lineup twice,” Emberson said. “Our No. 9 hitter was on-deck (when the top of the fifth ended). She (Raasch) is the real deal.”
Raasch also helped herself at the plate, driving in the first run of the game and the only run she would need.
Cardinal Newman scored two more runs in the bottom of the fifth, at which point the game was halted because of the 10-run mercy rule.
Apart from having the season end, Emberson said the worst thing about Tuesday’s loss was saying goodbye to his seniors — Vanessa John, Kristen Celli and team captains Mock and Azuree Meza.
“They’re 14-year-old kids when you get them as freshmen and they leave here as young women,” Emberson said. “You coach them for four years and see them grow as ballplayers. It gets a little emotional because they become like daughters to you.”
When Lower Lake returns to the field in 2017, look for some big changes as several starting positions will be up for grabs.
