LAKEPORT — Lake County’s top two softball teams squared off for the first of two North Central League I meetings this season and round one went right down to the wire as the Clear Lake Cardinals held off the Lower Lake Trojans 7-5 on Tuesday afternoon in Lakeport.
The game ended on a 1-2-3 double play after Lower Lake loaded the bases with one out in the top of the seventh inning. Winning pitcher Shaelyn McIntire fielded a comebacker, threw home for the force, and the catcher’s throw to first base beat the runner and ended the game.
Clear Lake (3-1 league, 8-3 overall) snapped a 5-all tie in the bottom of the fifth inning when Lilli Hill doubled, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on Emma Boatright’s sacrifice bunt. The Cardinals added an insurance run in the sixth to go up 7-5.
Lower Lake (2-1, 5-5) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the third against McIntire, who got two of those runs back in the bottom half of the inning with a two-run single. The Cardinals pushed ahead 5-3 in the bottom of the fourth, taking advantage of two Lower Lake errors on the same play to score three unearned runs.
“That was the backbreaker,” Lower Lake coach Dave Milano said. “For me it boiled down to that play.”
Lower Lake was able to tie the game with two runs in the top of the fifth before Clear Lake pushed back in front to stay.
McIntire allowed nine hits but walked only one and struck out nine. Losing pitcher Shelby Sapeta also went the distance, scattering five hits, striking out nine and walking six.
Joy Ingalls went 2-for-4 with a double for Clear Lake. Mikelynn Rowe, Xelin Fred-Mota, Alisha Jones (2 RBIs) and Kayla Doud had two hits apiece for Lower Lake.
Clear Lake’s defense turned two double plays in the game, both initiated by McIntire.
Clear Lake hits the road on Friday to play Fort Bragg while Lower Lake hosts Cloverdale.
In other softball action Tuesday:
Middletown 10, Willits 0 (5 inn.)
At Middletown, the Middletown Mustangs notched their first league win of the season, knocking off the Willits Wolverines in a game called after five innings because of the 10-run rule.
Middletown (1-3, 4-7) escaped the NCL I cellar behind the pitching of Savannah McLaughlin, who allowed just one hit while striking out six and walking two, and the hitting of Makaili Brown, who went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs.
“We put a complete game together finally,” Middletown coach Bob Gunion said. “It feels pretty good.”
The Mustangs banged out 10 hits in all. Alle Vierra went 2-for-3 with a double and a RBI and Emma Hansen went 2-for-3 with two RBIs. McLaughlin (1-for-2) also knocked in two runs.
Middletown broke open a 1-0 game with a five-run fourth inning.
The Mustangs backed McLaughlin in the field with error-free defense.
Middletown hosts league-leading Cloverdale on Wednesday before hitting the road Friday to play Kelseyville.
Fort Bragg 13, Kelseyville 12
At Fort Bragg, the Kelseyville Knights trailed by as many as seven runs and twice fought back to tie the game before the Fort Bragg Timberwolves scored a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to win this NCL I slugfest, which was played in cold and windy conditions on the Mendocino County coast.
“There were 30 mile-per-hour winds,” Kelseyville coach Jeff Bour said. “If the sun wouldn’t have been out, it would have been miserable.”
Kelseyville (0-4, 2-5) rallied for seven runs in the top of the sixth to erase a 10-3 deficit. Fort Bragg regained the lead with two runs in the bottom of the sixth before Kelseyville again tied it with two runs in the top of the seventh.
“We fought back two different times to tie it up,” Bour said. “We’re just hoping to get a league win here soon.”
Paige Bour went 2-for-4 with three RBIs to lead the Knights, Ryann Taylor went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and Myranda Williams went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Losing pitcher Mikayla Guistolise went the distance, striking out four and walking eight. She also had a hit and knocked in two runs.
Kelseyville tries again for its first league win on Friday when it hosts Middletown.
