UKIAH — Former Clear Lake High School multi-sport star Shaelyn McIntire did her part for Mendocino College during both ends of a Bay Valley Conference softball doubleheader Tuesday in Ukiah, but the Eagles had to settle for a split with the Solano Falcons, winning the first game 5-4 and dropping the second 10-7.
Mendocino is now 3-1 in the BVC standings and 3-1 overall, their COVID-19-delayed 2021 season opening only last week when they swept Yuba College in a home doubleheader.
“I couldn’t tell you the last time Mendocino beat Solano in softball,” Mendocino College head coach Doug Wingler said.
McIntire did everything she could to deliver a sweep. She pitched a complete game and went 1-for-1 at the plate in the opener as the Eagles rallied from a 4-0 deficit to win it. In game two, McIntire picked up three more hits and drove in four runs.
“I thought she pitched a great game,” Wingler said. “We’ve been playing good defense behind her. She got a lot of ground balls today and we made the plays.”
Solano scored single runs in the first and second innings to go up 2-0. The Falcons added two more runs in the top of the fourth for a 4-0 lead. Mendocino closed to 4-3 in the bottom of the fourth, then took the lead with a two-run fifth. After Kennedy Lynch and McIntire drew walks to open the Eagles fifth, cleanup hitter Ashley Bond advanced the runners — and probably surprised the Solano defense — by dropping down a sacrifice bunt.
“It was a beautiful bunt,” Wingler said.
Next up was Erika Olson and she laced a double off the fence in left field to score both runners and put Mendocino ahead to stay.
Second game
In game two, Solano snapped a 6-all tie with two runs in the top of the sixth en route to its 10-7 victory. Three of the Falcons’ final four runs, including two in the seventh, were the result of home runs allowed by losing pitcher Shelby Sapeta, the former Lower Lake High School star.
Sapeta pitched a complete game, striking out nine, walking two and hitting three.
“I know she had some discomfort in her hip, but she just kept competing and never complained,” Wingler said. “We just need to get her more innings.”
The game turned on a handful of plays, according to Wingler.
“There are some things we haven’t had time work on in practice that hurt us today,” Wingler said. “We also made a baserunning mistake, but all in all I was pleased with how they played. We are making mistakes I figured we would make and we have plenty of things to work on in practice.”
Besides McIntire’s team-leading three hits in the second game, Lynch went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in the bottom of the third, and Bond also finished with two hits.
“It was a shot,” Wingler said of Lynch’s home run to left-center field.
The Eagles fought to the last out, according to Wingler, and managed to get the potential tying run to the plate before the game ended.
Schedule
The Eagles play two non-conference doubleheaders next week, both at home. They host Santa Rosa Junior College on Tuesday and Sierra College on Wednesday. Action both days begins at 1 p.m.
