LAKEPORT — Clear Lake made the Marin County Athletic League leaders pay for their errors, both physical and mental, and used some timely hitting paired with great defense and pitching to beat the San Rafael Bulldogs 5-4 in non-league softball action Thursday afternoon in Lakeport.
San Rafael’s stellar sophomore shortstop Sophia Everett crushed a two-run home run well over the fence in left-center field in the top of the fifth to snap a 1-1 tie, but the Cardinals (9-5) mounted a four-run rally in the bottom half of the inning that was a textbook example of what coaches tell their players all the time — put the ball into play and something good might happen.
The Cardinals did … it happened and it was good.
While Bulldogs (11-4) were really struggling on defense, Clear Lake played error free ball behind freshman pitcher Atiana Patino, who scattered eight hits, struck out nine and walked four.
“Pitching and defense,” Clear Lake head coach Scott Schaefers said when asked about the key to his team’s big win.
The Cardinals really played well behind Patino as the Bulldogs came to bat in the top of the seventh trailing 5-3 but with the top of their lineup coming up. Everett, who had already doubled and homered, drew a five-pitch walk to lead things off, and Cassidy Kaplan slapped an 0-2 pitch into left field for a single.
With the potential tying runs on base, San Rafael’s Megan Murphy smacked a hard grounder into the hole between shortstop and third base, but Clear Lake shortstop Amber Smart was somehow able to backhand the ball and force Kaplan at second base as Everett moved to third.
An even bigger play followed.
Patino uncorked a wild pitch and as Everett raced home with a run to make it 5-4, Murphy, the runner at first base, flew around second and tried to reach third only to be gunned down on catcher Karsyn Greer’s perfect throw to third baseman Camrin Pivniska, who slapped down the tag in plenty of time for the out. And just like that the bases were empty with two outs.
Patino wasn’t quite out of the woods yet as Angel Amesa doubled to the right-center field gap. That brought the Bulldog’s No. 5 hitter, Gabby Rodriguez, to the plate. Rodriguez took a strike before hitting a medium-pace grounder to Pivniska at third. The junior’s long throw across the diamond was perfect and ended the game.
An inning earlier Patino took care of matters herself, striking out San Rafael’s seven, eight and nine batters all on called third strikes.
“These games are just making her stronger,” Clear Lake assistant coach Marci Psalmonds said of Patino, who has been Cardinals’ starter since hard-throwing junior left-hander Lilliana Cruz went down with a hip injury.
Likewise the Bulldogs were unable to throw their ace,Thomara Drummer, who is also sidelined with an injury. Instead they went to Rodriguez, who lasted 4 1/3 innings before giving way to an even harder thrower, Murphy, during Clear Lake’s five-run fifth. Murphy struck four in 1 2/3 innings but it was her mental error on defense that allowed what proved to be the winning run to score.
Clear Lake’s fifth inning began with leadoff hitter Rubi Ford striking out. Patino then reached on an error as second baseman Giselle Grul booted a routine grounder. Smart followed with a single deep into the hole at shortstop. Everett fielded the ball but had no chance to get Smart although she tried anyway. Her rushed and off-balance throw sailed well over the head of the first baseman for an error. Patino scored to cut San Rafael’s lead to 3-2 while Smart motored all the way around to third.
Montana Wells reached on an infield single out in front of the plate as Smart held her ground at third base. Wells stole second before Bruch, ahead in the count 2-0, hit a hard grounder that caught a piece of the third baseman’s glove but remained in the infield. Both Smart at third and Wells at second stayed where they were as the Cardinals now had the bases loaded.
Pivniska followed with the Cardinals’ fourth straight single, this one a hard line drive into right field that scored Smart and tied the game at 3-3 with the bases still loaded.
Murphy relieved Rodriguez at that point and struck out Stella Hill for the second out. With Grace Gomez standing at the plate, the Cardinals ran a trick play that hasn’t failed them yet this season.
“We’ve run it like six times and it’s worked every time,” Clear Lake assistant coach Phil Psalmonds said.
Pivniska broke for second base even though the bases were loaded. San Rafael’s catcher moved out in front of the plate while looking back Wells back toward third base. The catcher then threw down to second base and Wells broke for home. She scored well ahead of the throw to the plate to give Clear Lake a 4-3 lead. Bruch moved up to third and Pivniska to second on the throw home.
When Gomez hit a comebacker to the mound, all Murphy had to do was throw to first base for the third out, but she instead threw home and Bruch beat the catcher’s tag (because it wasn’t a force play) to make it 5-3.
“I don’t know why she did that,” Marci Psalmonds said of Murphy’s decision to try for the third out at the plate.
San Rafael took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Everett led of the game with a booming double to the fence in left-center field and stole third. Patino struck out Kaplan but catcher Jazzmine Ledesma dropped strike three and had to throw down to first base to record the out. On the throw to first, the speedy Everett raced home.
Clear Lake tied the game 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth on a clutch two-out Gomez single that scored Bruch. The Cardinals loaded the bases with no outs before Hill bounced into a force play at the plate. Gomez followed with a crisp single into right field. While Bruch scored on the play, Pivniska was thrown out retreating to third base after taking a wide turn and coming about a third of the way down the line before realizing her mistake.
San Rafael went up 3-1 in the fifth on Everett’s booming home run and was looking for more with two outs and runners at second and third when Patino got Karen Vela to hit a comebacker to the mound for the final out.
Clear Lake got out of another jam in the top of the third when San Rafael had runners at the corners with just one out and their No. 3 hitter, Murphy, standing at the plate She bounced a hard grounder to Smart who fielded the ball near second base. She stepped on the bag for the force and threw on to first for the inning-ending double play. Smart’s throw turned out to be unnecessary because San Rafael’s runner didn’t make an attempt to slide at second and was called for obstruction by the base umpire, guaranteeing a double play.
Bulldogs shortstop Everett saved a run in the bottom of the third with Clear Lake’s Ford at third base with one out. Patino hit a popup to second base and San Rafael’s Grul was nearly onto the outfield grass when the ball went in and out of her glove. Ford smartly tagged up on the play but Everett was right there to retrieve the dropped popup and she fired a strike to the plate to nail a sliding Ford.
“That was a great play,” Phil Psalmonds said.
The Cardinals finished with six hits — once each by Hill, Gomez, Smart, Wells, Bruch and Pivniska. Everett, Kalpand and Amesa led the Bulldogs with two hits apiece. Amesa also had a double.
Clear Lake hits the road Friday to play Kelseyville in North Central League I action. Clear Lake brings a 5-3 league mark into the game against the 4-3 Knights, winners of three straight. First pitch is 4 p.m.
