FORTUNA >> Unable to capitalize on early opportunities against Fortuna ace Hailey Dolcini, the Clear Lake Cardinals fell 4-0 to the Huskies in the quarterfinal round of the North Coast Section Division IV softball playoffs on Saturday morning in Fortuna, ending their season at 19-6.
Dolcini, a junior who pitched Fortuna (21-5) into last year’s Division IV finals against Marin Catholic (Fortuna lost that game 1-0), allowed just four hits while striking out 15 and walking none.
“The movement on her rise ball was the best I’ve seen in quite a while,” Clear Lake coach Doug Wingler said. “We chased the rise ball out of the (strike) zone too many times.”
While the 10 a.m. starting time probably didn’t benefit either team, it certainly didn’t help the Cardinals given that the team’s six seniors — all starters — graduated Friday night and attended a Sober Grad party overnight. They were on the road by 5:30 a.m. Saturday in order to make the three-hour trek to Fortuna.
“That we played as well as we did is a tribute to how mentally tough they are,” Wingler said of his players and the seniors most of all.
The North Central League I champions, even with full rest, would have needed their A game and then some to knock off the Huskies, according to Wingler.
“Fortuna is a very tough team,” he said. “And that pitcher … we ran into a buzz saw.”
Clear Lake left runners in scoring position in each of the first three innings against Dolcini. In the top of the first, Alicia Ledesma singled and moved to second on a wild pitch but was stranded there. In the second, Regina Faalelea singled and stole second before Dolcini struck out the next three batters. And in the third, Shyanne Chapin connected for a two-out double, the only extra-base hit Dolcini allowed, and Ledesma was hit by a pitch. Dolcini retired her Clear Lake counterpart, Rachel Wingler, to retire the side.
“We really didn’t get our speed on the bases,” Wingler said of the top of his order, which has been the catalyst for the Cardinals’ offense all season.
Dolcini dominated Clear Lake the rest of the way and the Huskies did enough on offense to make it stand up. Fortuna went ahead 1-0 in the second before adding three runs in the bottom of the third, taking advantage of two Cardinal errors to give Dolcini some breathing room.
“For the most part we competed, but that inning was a little rough,” Wingler said.
Pitching the final game of her four-year career for the Cardinals, Rachel Wingler allowed seven hits, struck out seven and walked two.
Anessia Jack had the only other hit against Dolcini.
Clear Lake’s head coach said it was the first of back-to-back transitional years for the Cardinals.
“This was a really solid team and the seniors helped us make a smooth transition from Gary (Pickle, former Clear Lake coach) to my first year,” Wingler said. “Now the younger players on the team will help us get ready for next year. Because of the success of this program we’ve got a lot of young girls, girls in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades, interested in playing softball once they get to high school.”
Replacing his daughter’s spot on the team next season as well as the other starting jobs of his graduating seniors – Ledesma (third base), Jack (catcher), Emily Psalmonds (second base), Mina Werner (left field) and Emily Omiotek (right field) – will be a tall order, according to Wingler.
“That will be tough to do, but I think you’ll see the younger players take the torch and carry it,” he added.
