LAKEPORT — Winning pitcher Shaelyn McIntire supplied all the offense she would need to lead the Clear Lake Cardinals to a 20-1 rout of the Willits Wolverines in a five-inning North Central League I softball game on Tuesday afternoon in Willits where the ball was flying in the warm air.
McIntire went 3-for-3, including a solo home run in the top of the second inning. It was one of her team-leading six RBIs on the afternoon. After Lilli Hill drew a walk, Madi Ferguson launched a two-run home run to almost the exact same spot on the field, the blast clearing the feet by some 30 feet.
Clear Lake (6-2 league, 11-4 overall) nearly had a third home run later in the game when Hill just missed, settling for a RBI double.
“When she threw it over the plate we hit the ball hard,” Clear Lake coach Phil Psalmonds said of the Willits pitcher.
Willits pitching struggled to find the plate, walking seven Cardinals and hitting 11 others, including Sara Ogden three times. Clear Lake finished with just five hits.
“We came here and beat them, did what we were supposed to do,” Psalmonds said of the 1-8 Wolverines. “They’re doing the best they can with what they have.”
Clear Lake scored at least three runs in every inning, with a high of five in the top of the first.
McIntire allowed three hits, struck out five and walked two.
It was the first of four league games for the Cardinals this week. They play at Kelseyville on Thursday and return home Friday for a doubleheader against St. Helena.
In other NCL I softball action Tuesday:
Cloverdale 13, Kelseyville 1 (5 inn.)
At Kelseyville, undefeated league leader Cloverdale improved to 10-0 in the NCL I standings and 16-0 overall with a five-inning victory over the Kelseyville Knights.
Cloverdale jumped on losing pitcher Mikayla Guistolise for seven first-inning runs and never looked back. Ryann Taylor’s RBI double in the bottom of the third gave Kelseyville (3-6, 5-7) its lone run against Eagles ace Tehya Bird, who allowed three of her four hits in the third. After Skye Mateer and Emily Sandoval reached on singles, Taylor doubled over the right fielder’s head. A chance for a bigger inning didn’t materialize as Bird retired the next two hitters on a lineout to left field and a strikeout.
Destiny Peters had Kelseyville’s other hit.
Guistoline struggled with her control throughout the game, walking 10.
The Knights are home Thursday to play Clear Lake before hitting the road Friday against Willits.
Lower Lake 11, Fort Bragg 8
At Fort Bragg, Lower Lake built a 10-1 lead but had to hang on to beat the Fort Bragg Timberwolves. It was the second meeting in six days between the two teams, but whereas the first game was a pitcher’s dual won by the Trojans 2-0, Tuesday’s contest ended up being a slugfest.
Winning pitcher Shelby Sapeta left after 4 1/3 innings with the lead, moved to shortstop, but came back to work the seventh, effectively saving her own victory.
Lower Lake is 6-2 in league play and 9-6 overall.
No other game details were available at the Record-Bee’s deadline.
