EUREKA — Hank Ollenberger’s RBI single in the top of the 12th inning snapped a 8-8 tie and helped lift the Clear Lake Cardinals to a 10-8 marathon victory over the St. Bernard’s Crusaders in the second game of a non-league doubleheader Saturday in Eureka.
It was the first win of the season for the Cardinals (1-2), who fell 8-2 in the first game.
Clear Lake was originally scheduled to play St. Bernard’s at home but field conditions and the weather wouldn’t allow it, so the Cardinals agreed to make the long trip north with the hopes of getting in a game.
“It rained almost the whole way up there,” Clear Lake head coach Ed Pepper said. “Around South Fork, Miranda, it started to get lighter and by the team we reached Scotia the rain stopped and their was some sun.”
Rain did arrive late in the second game and the umpires twice asked the two coaches if they wanted to halt play with the score tied. Pepper said he wanted to play on as did the St. Bernard’s coach and the umpires agreed.
“We went up there to play and I told them (umpires) I wasn’t going to stop the game, but if they wanted to for safety reasons I understood,” Pepper said.
The game was briefly halted in the 11th inning so that a chemical absorbent could be applied to the mound and around homeplate to soak up some of the excess moisture.
Fortunately the game was over an inning later. Graden Greer led off the top of the 12th with a walk and stole second. Johnny Gonzales followed with a first-pitch double to the right-center field gap, but Greer was held at third because the ball was hit so hard. Ollenberger followed with a first-pitch single to drive in Greer and snap the 8-8 tie. One out later, Zane McAuley singled home Gonzales to make it 10-8.
Winning pitcher Cody Hayes, working his second inning of relief, issued a two-out walk in the bottom of the 12th after striking out the first two batters he faced, then the game ended on a popup to the third baseman.
“Cody did a phenomenal job in relief,” Pepper said of the fourth and final Clear Lake pitcher used in the game.
Clear Lake led 3-1, 4-1, 6-4, 7-4 and 8-6 during the first six innings when the game’s first 16 runs were scored. St. Bernard’s lone lead was 4-3 after three innings. The Crusaders rallied for two runs in the bottom of the sixth to pull even at 8.
The two teams played five scoreless innings until the 12th.
Ollenberger went 3-for-6 with a double and two RBIs for Clear Lake while freshman Zane McAuley, who caught all 12 innings, also went 3-for-6 with two RBIs. Hayes added three hits, one of them a double, and also reached base on a walk and was hit twice.
The Cardinals banged out 17 hits in all while limiting the Crusaders to two.
Preceding Hayes to the mound was starting pitcher Greyson Wind and relievers Gonzales and AJ Bruch. While Clear Lake pitching allowed only the two hits, the Cardinals’ four pitchers combined to issue 22 walks.
“My team came out to play with all of their heart in the second game,” Pepper said. “We’re just kind of moving things around right now to see what works. I brought up three JV players and all got playing time.”
Added Pepper, “I think we’ll be competitive (in the upcoming North Central League I race).”
First game
St. Bernard’s scored early and often in the first game, opening up a 6-0 lead after two innings.
Clear Lake picked up its first run in the top of the fourth on a Jesse Hayes RBI double to make it 6-1. St. Bernard’s came back with two runs in the bottom half to go up 8-1. The Cardinals got their final run in the top of the seventh on an Ollenberger RBI single.
Ollenberger worked the first four innings on the mound and took the loss, allowing all eight St. Bernard’s runs. Jacob Horne finished up with two scoreless innings of relief.
Ollenberger went 3-for-4 with two doubles and the seventh-inning RBI to lead Clear Lake at the plate. Cody Hayes also doubled while Bruch and Liam Orr added singles.
While the Eureka area has received its fair share of rain as well from recent storms, Pepper said the field conditions at the start of play were excellent.
“They spent a lot of time on the field the two days before the game to get it ready,” Pepper said. “It had dried good. It was in good shape.”
Clear Lake’s field may need a little more time, according to Pepper, who said that while the infield has fared the plentiful rainfall/snowfall pretty well, the outfield is another story.
The Cardinals aren’t scheduled to play again until Thursday when the lock up with Arcata at 9 a.m. in the opening round of the Fort Bragg Tournament, which runs through Friday.
