LAKEPORT — The Clear Lake Cardinals dealt Cloverdale a 9-4 softball loss on Tuesday afternoon in Lakeport, sweeping the Eagles in North Central League I play for the first time since the 2016 season.
While Clear Lake (10-3 league, 11-4 overall) won’t catch St. Helena atop the NCL I standings — the Saints beat Kelseyville 14-0 on Tuesday to clinch the undisputed league title — head coach Racheal Harmon’s squad ran its league winning streak to four in a row, including a 6-4 victory over the league-champion Saints (12-1). The Cardinals have now won nine of their last 10.
Clear Lake can nail down sole possession of second place in the league standings with a victory at home Friday against Fort Bragg (9-4) in the season finale for both teams. If the Cardinals lose to the Timberwolves, the two teams will finish tied for second.
“No matter what the standings are the girls are going to be ready to fight, ready to play,” Harmon said.
Had this been a non-pandemic year, the Cardinals would be preparing for the North Coast Section playoffs, but the postseason was long ago canceled because of a myriad of COVID-19 restrictions.
“It’s a disservice to the kids,” Harmon said of no playoffs to look forward to after such a successful regular season.
On the bright side, Clear Lake returns all of its starters in 2022 except senior center fielder Joy Ingalls, one of the top players in the league this season.
“The next couple of years are going to be an exciting time for Clear Lake High,” Harmon said. “It’s going to be fun to watch and coach.”
The key to Clear Lake’s second league victory over Cloverdale this season was two-out hitting. The Cardinals scored three times after two were out in the bottom of the first inning to open up a 3-0 lead. After the Eagles (7-6) tied the game with three runs in the top of the second, Clear Lake hung a crooked number on the scoreboard in the bottom half, scoring five times after two were out.
With two outs and the bases empty in the Clear Lake second, Joy Ingalls (4-for-4) singled and stole second base, one of her three steals on the day. Sierra Bruch was hit by a pitch and Raina Clifton followed with a RBI single to give Clear Lake a 4-3 lead as Bruch stopped at third base. Bussard then connected on a 1-1 pitch for a three-run home run that hugged the left-field line.
“I had to hold my breath for a second because I didn’t know if it was going to be fair or foul,” Harmon said. “It was just inside the foul pole.”
It was Bussard’s fourth home run of the season.
That was more than enough run support for winning pitcher Lilianna Cruz, a freshman left-hander. She allowed just four hits and one earned run in six innings while striking out six and walking two.
“Cruz did fantastic,” Harmon said. “She was hitting her spots and throwing hard.”
Cruz also had a RBI double during Clear Lake’s three-run first inning, one of her two hits on the day. Clifton continued her torrid streak at the plate by going 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
Notes: When the Cardinals last swept Cloverdale in league play, in 2016, they won the NCL I championship under former head coach Doug Wingler, who is now the head coach for the Mendocino College Eagles … Clear Lake won its first 13 league games in 2016 before dropping a 3-0 decision to Lower Lake in its regular-season finale at Lakeport.
