UPPER LAKE — Lexi Wurm smashed a three-run home run during Upper Lake’s 10-run first inning and Ruby Wurm added a three-run shot in the fourth inning as the Upper Lake High School softball team beat Potter Valley 17-0 in non-league action Monday at Upper Lake.
The game was called after four and a half innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.
Winning pitcher Lexi Wurm and reliever Nya Marcks combined on a one-hit shutout, with Wurm working the first, second and fifth innings and Marks the third and fourth. Wurm struck out seven and walked three while Marcks struck out six, walked none and hit two.
“That’s the most consistent I’ve seen her pitch,” Upper Lake head coach Nick Williamson said of the sophomore Marcks, who pitched a year ago as a member of the Clear Lake Cardinals.
Wurm walked the first two batters she faced in the top of the first before striking out the side. Upper Lake quickly gave her a lead to work with in the bottom half, an inning that lasted 30 minutes before the Bearcats finally recorded the third out.
“We were able to get the girls a lot of at-bats and both of my pitchers did a good job,” Williamson said of some of the positives to come out of the blowout win.
Another of those positives was Jordann Gudmundson, who went 4-for-4 with a double and two RBIs to lead a 19-hit Upper Lake attack. Other leaders were Nataly Velasco, who went 3-for-3 with a double, triple and a RBI, and Lexi Wurm and Tristin Rhodes with three hits and three RBIs apiece. Both of the Cougars’ home runs were deep drivers over the left fielder’s head.
“The win will give us a little momentum going into a pretty intense week,” Williamson said with a look ahead to the Cougars’ schedule, which includes a road game Tuesday at Fort Bragg and two more games Thursday at the Maxwell Tournament, which runs through Saturday. Upper Lake comes back Saturday to play a final tournament game.
Potter Valley’s lone hit was a well-place infield single in the top of the fifth.
