LAKEPORT >> In a North Central League I softball game where both teams held leads and lost leads, it was a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Kortnie Reynolds with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning that lifted the Clear Lake Cardinals to a 6-5 victory over the Middletown Mustangs on Wednesday afternoon in Lakeport.
Regina Faalelea tagged up from third base and scored the winning run to give the Cardinals a nice bounce-back win following a 10-4 loss at Kelseyville a day earlier.
“We cleaned up the pitching and Kortnie probably pitched one of her better games today,” Clear Lake coach Doug Wingler said of Reynolds, who worked all seven innings for the victory, striking out six and walking one.
Clear Lake (2-1 league, 6-5 overall) erased a 3-0 deficit through three innings with a four-run bottom of the fourth.
“Each inning we threatened but we got it rolling in the fourth,” Wingler said.
But nothing would be easy for either team on this day. Middletown (0-2, 1-7) came right back with a run in the top of the fifth to tie the score only to watch Clear Lake go ahead 5-4 with a run in the bottom half. The Mustangs pulled even again with a run in the top of the seventh as losing pitcher Olivia Glosser singled home teammate Brittney Holt.
“We had a chance to go ahead but they ran a trick play and picked off a runner at third base or Olivia would have had a two-run single,” Middletown coach Barry Glosser said of his daughter’s clutch hit.
Tied at 5 going to the bottom of the seventh, Clear Lake loaded the bases with one out on a walk, a hit and a Middletown error. Reynolds’ fly ball into center field was plenty deep to bring home Faalelea from third.
Middletown scored a run in the top of the first and two more in the third to open up a 3-0 lead.
“We’re looking forward to playing them again,” Glosser said. “We played much better today than we have been playing. I’m really proud of them.”
Madi Ferguson went 2-for-4 with a double and a RBI while Lila Ogden went 1-for-4 with two RBIs to lead the Cardinals at the plate. For the Mustangs, Abby Murphy went 2-for-4 and Holt and Glosser each finished with a hit and a RBI.
Middletown is home Thursday to play Lower Lake at 2 p.m. Clear Lake returns to action Tuesday at home against Cloverdale at 4 p.m.
