LAKEPORT — Undefeated North Central League I softball leader Cloverdale scored four times in the top of the seventh inning to snap a 2-2 tie and beat the Clear Lake Cardinals 6-2 in a battle of the league’s top two teams on Tuesday afternoon in Lakeport.
Cloverdale improves to 8-0 in league play and 14-0 overall while Clear Lake falls to 4-2 and 9-4. Both of the Cardinals’ league losses have been to the Eagles, defending NCL I champions.
Winning pitcher Tehya Bird struck out 11 and walked none while allowing five hits. She took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth but the Cardinals were able to scratch out an unearned run when Joy Ingalls (2-for-3) stole third base and continued home on a throwing error by the Cloverdale catcher. Sara Ogden (1-for-3) knocked in Clear Lake’s other run in the bottom of the third.
The Eagles scored single runs in each of the first two innings to go up 2-0. They didn’t score again until the seventh when senior Heather Sterling, hitless on the day, tripled home two runs to put her team in front 4-2. A fielder’s choice grounder and a sacrifice fly accounted for the final two runs of the inning.
Clear Lake made some noise to start the bottom of the seventh when losing pitcher Shaelyn McIntire led off with a triple, but Bird worked out of it, retiring the next three batters on a strikeout, popup to the catcher and a grounder to third base.
McIntire allowed six hits, struck out one and walked four, three of them intentionally (two to Bird).
Clear Lake travels to Middletown on Friday.
In other softball action Tuesday:
Kelseyville 13, St. Helena 11 (first game)
Kelseyville 14, St. Helena 2 (second game, 5 inn.)
At Kelseyville, don’t look now, but the Kelseyville Knights have a three-game league winning streak after sweeping a doubleheader from the St. Helena Saints.
The two teams agreed to play a doubleheader at Kelseyville after a March 22 game in St. Helena was rained out. St. Helena was the home team in game one while Kelseyville was the home team in game two.
Kelseyville trailed 9-5 going to the seventh inning in the opener but rallied for eight runs against a tiring St. Helena pitcher Carter Dahline to pull out the victory. Two-run singles by winning pitcher Mikayla Guistolise, Myranda Williams and Ryann Taylor fueled the big inning.
It was quite a turnaround for the Knights, who trailed 5-1 through the first three innings when Carter struck out eight.
After a scoreless fourth, both teams scored two runs in the fifth and sixth innings.
Paige Bour gave Kelseyville a 1-0 lead in the top of the first with a solo home run to right field, her third homer of the season. The Saints intentionally walked her in each of her next three at-bats. The junior doubled home a run in the seventh.
Other players with two hits were Guistolise (2-for-4), Taylor (2-for-5, double) and Williams (2-for-5, double).
Guistolise went the distance for the win, striking out three and walking six.
Destiny Peters pitched a complete game in the nightcap, which was called after 4 1/2 innings because of the 10-run rule. The Knights scored in every inning, pushing across four runs in the first, adding another in the second, two more in the third and seventh in the fourth.
Kelseyville had only six hits but was the beneficiary of 11 walks issued by three St. Helena pitchers.
Taylor went 2-for-3 to lead the Knights at the plate, Kassandra Villalobos went 1-for-2 with two RBIs, and Emily Sandoval had her first high school hit, a RBI double.
“It was nice,” Kelseyville coach Jeff Bour said of the sweep. “We’ve been in every game this season except for Cloverdale. “We’re getting better as the season progresses.”
The Knights are on the road Friday against Lower Lake.
Lower Lake 11, Willits 1 (5 inn.)
At Lower Lake, Shelby Sapeta struck out 11 and walked none as the Lower Lake Trojans improved to 3-2 in the league standing and 8-6 overall with a five-inning victory over the Willits Wolverines.
Lower Lake scored eight times in the bottom of the fifth to break open a tight game.
“We didn’t hit the ball particularly well today, but we played smart,” Lower Lake coach Dave Milano said. “We just played better defense and didn’t make baserunning mistakes.”
Sapeta had at least one strikeout in every inning. She struck out the side in the first and third.
Patti McCleery and Lily Griffin each went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs to propel the offense. Mikelynn Rowe (1-for-2) also knocked in two runs.
“Patti McCleery has been hitting the ball hard and playing good defense the last three games,” Milano said.
Lower Lake beat Durham 11-1 in six innings and 9-4 in five innings to sweep a non-league doubleheader on Saturday in Lower Lake. Jessica Hernandez was the winning pitcher in game one while Sapeta notched the victory in game two.
The Trojans are home Thursday to play Fort Bragg and home again on Friday against Kelseyville.
Fort Bragg 12, Middletown 6
At Fort Bragg, the Fort Bragg Timberwolves scored 10 times in the bottom of the second inning en route to beating the Middletown Mustangs.
Middletown drops to 1-6 in league play and 4-10 overall.
Game statistics were not reported.
