UKIAH — Less than 24 hours after watching a 2-1 pitcher’s duel melt down into a 16-1 league loss to the Cloverdale Eagles, the Clear Lake Cardinals came right back to shut out the Fortuna Huskies 2-0 in non-league softball action Wednesday afternoon at Mendocino College in Ukiah.
It was the second game of a split doubleheader as Fortuna (9-8) beat Lower Lake 11-1 in five innings in the early game.
Clear Lake’s win was notable on a couple of counts, not the least of which was that this same Fortuna team beat Cloverdale earlier this season, which begs the question, ‘Will the real Clear Lake team please stand up?’
“You don’t know which team is going to show up,” Clear Lake assistant coach Phil Psalmonds said. “That’s our year,” he added of an up-and-down 10-7 campaign that has featured plenty of highs and lows so far.
“It was the pitching today,” Clear Lake assistant coach Marci Psalmonds said of the key to the Cardinals’ bounceback win. “Both of our pitchers are able, but neither one could go the full distance today, so we used both.”
With freshman Atiana Patino nursing an injured thumb (hurt during a power puff football game last week) and Cardinals veteran Lilianna Cruz, a junior, working her way back from a hip injury that has kept her from pitching most of the season, Psalmonds said the only logical solution was to split time between the two. The platoon worked incredibly well against Fortuna as Patino and Cruz combined on a one-hitter.
Patino started the game and blanked the Huskies on no hits for three innings while striking out two and walking one. She worked out of jams in each of the first two innings, stranding runners at second and third. A defensive gem by second baseman Grace Gomez in the top of the third allowed Patino to retire the Huskies in order, and with her finger starting to throb, the Cardinals went to Cruz, a hard-throwing left-hander who led the Cardinals into the North Coast Section Division 5 semifinals a year ago when they lost 2-1 to St. Helena.
Cruz retired Fortuna in order in the fourth, hit the leadoff batter in the top of the fifth before retiring the next three batters on a strikeout and two infield popups, and was helped by the Huskies in the sixth when they put their leadoff batter on base before hitting into a double play (the runner heading from first to second was called out for interference, making the double play automatic). Hayes followed with a clean single into center field for Fortuna’s only hit of the game before Hailee Thompson fouled out to Pivniska at third base to end the inning.
Clear Lake nursed a 1-0 lead nearly the entire game after scoring in the bottom of the first. Rubi Ford reached on a slap single and advanced to second on Patino’s bunt single. With one out, Ford and Patino moved up on a double steal. Cruz worked the count full before drawing ball four, a pitch that ticked off the catcher’s glove for a passed ball, Ford scoring on the play and Patino moving over to third. Cruz stole second moments later.
The Cardinals couldn’t add to their lead, however, as Fortuna pitcher Isabel Sanchez struck out Camrin Pivniska and got Gomez on a hard grounder that appeared headed into right field for a hit only to end up in the glove of second baseman Libby Johnston, who threw out Gomez at first.
Clear Lake failed to capitalize on another second-and-third, one-out opportunity in the bottom third. Ford again got things started with a slap single and Patino sacrificed her over to second base. Amber Smart singled into left field to put runners at the corners before stealing second base. Again Sanchez was up to the task as she struck out Cruz and got Pivniska on a comebacker.
The Cardinals made more noise in the fourth when Montana Wells drew a one-out walk and Sierra Bruch reached safely on a sacrifice bunt that the Huskies’ mishandled for an error, the first baseman dropping the throw from Sanchez. Hill’s groundout moved the runners over to second and third before Ford’s comebacker ended the inning.
“As good as we played today, we have to do a much better job with our hitting,” Clear Lake head coach Scott Schaefers said of the Cardinals’ numerous missed opportunities to add to their lead.
Clear Lake finally did pick up an insurance run in the sixth on a one-out Wells standup triple down the right-field line and a clutch two-out bloop single by Stella Hill into center field. As Hill raced down the line, her batted ball dropped in front of hard-charging Myra Hayes, the Huskies’ center fielder.
Fortuna made some noise in the top of the seventh as Fortuna’s Mariah Bravo was hit by a pitch for the third time in the game — once by Patino and twice by Cruz — with one out. After a popup to Gomez at second base for the second out, Cruz issued her only walk of the game. The game ended a couple of pitches later as Johnston popped up to Gomez, who tracked the ball to the edge of the infield before putting it away.
“I love the team win,” said Schaefers, who awarded team balls to his two pitchers following the game.
Clear Lake finished with seven hits, led by Ford (2-for-4).
The Cardinals jump back into their North Central League I schedule Friday at Willits. They are 5-5 in the league standings with four games remaining. Their final four league opponents are Willits, Middletown (Tuesday, away), Fort Bragg (home, May 5) and St. Helena (May 9, away). Clear Lake also has a non-league doubleheader next Thursday at home against St. Bernard’s of Eureka.
