UKIAH — Eureka High School junior pitcher Kira Morris limited Clear Lake to a total of five hits in two games Saturday as the Loggers swept the Cardinals in a non-league softball doubleheader at Mendocino College in Ukiah.
Morris shut out the Cardinals on two hits in a 4-0 win in game one, sealing her own victory with a two-run home run in the top of the seventh. She came back in game two to throw a three-hitter in a 8-1 win.
While the Cardinals (7-4) were hoping to gain at least a split, that’s a tall order against a team with the Loggers’ credentials this season. They’re ranked No. 2 in Division 3 of the North Coast Section while Clear Lake is No. 3 in Division 5.
“We matched up with a top team,” Clear Lake head coach Scott Schaefers said.
Morris and Clear Lake’s Lilianna Cruz locked up in a pretty good pitching duel in game one. The difference was one of only two seniors on the Eureka roster, catcher McKenna Beach, who hit a solo home run to straightaway center field leading off the top of the fourth, that after smashing leadoff double to the fence in the top of the second when Cruz worked out of a bases-loaded jam to keep the game scoreless.
When Beach came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the fifth, the Cardinals accorded her a rare honor, intentionally walking her to force in a run rather than risk letting her put the game out of reach with another big hit. The strategy worked as Cruz retired Zia Gee on a comebacker to end the inning.
Eureka added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh when Kaitlin Giacone drew a two-out, bases-empty walk and scored on Morris’ home run to right-center field. She sprinted around the bases and was across home plate before the Cardinals could get the ball back into the infield.
Clear Lake had a couple of scoring chances but couldn’t get the big hit it needed either time. Amber Smart drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first — the only walk Morris would issue in the game — and stole her way around to third base with just one out. Even with the heart of their lineup batting, the Cardinals’ couldn’t get her home. No. 3 hitter Raina Clifton struck out swinging and cleanup hitter Hailee Bussard popped out to first base to end the inning.
The Cardinals also got their leadoff batter aboard in the fourth when Camrin Pivniska doubled to the fence in right field. Clifton tried to advance her with a sacrifice but ended up striking out when she fouled off a two-strike bunt attempt. Pivniska did move over to third on Bussard’s groundout to shortstop, but Sierra Buch popped out to Morris to end the inning.
Clear Lake had only one other runner in the game as Kiley Voris reached on a one-out throwing error by the Eureka shortstop in the top of the fifth, but the next two Cardinals made outs.
Morris finished with a flourish in the bottom of the seventh, striking out the side — her ninth, 10th and 11th strikeouts of the game.
Cruz struck out nine and walked five while allowing five hits.
Second game
Cruz pitched the first inning of game two before giving way to reliever Clifton with the Cardinals trailing 1-0. Eureka added two more runs in the third and another in the fourth to go up 4-0. Clear Lake scored its only run of the day in the bottom half on a Bussard groundout. The Loggers answered with three runs in the fifth and picked up their final run in the sixth.
Clifton struck out six and walked three. She had two of the Cardinals’ hits in game two while Bruch had the other.
Schaefers said he was proud of his team for hanging tough with the Loggers in game two after shuffling the lineup when Cruz left. Clifton moved from second base to pitcher and other related moves were necessary to fill holes in the infield and outfield.
“They didn’t 10-run us even though we had to move a bunch of players around,” he said. “Raina did a good job for us against a really good team and our defense was pretty solid throughout the day. Pitching and defense is how we get it done and hopefully we can come up with enough hits (when league play resumes).”
The doubleheader on Mendocino College’s beautiful softball facility was arranged by Mendocino College head coach Doug Wingler, Clear Lake High School’s head coach from 2016-2018 and an assistant before that under former Clear Lake head coach.
Clear Lake resumes its North Central League I schedule Wednesday at home against Cloverdale at 4 p.m. The game was pushed back from Tuesday at Cloverdale’s request.
