Cards come alive in sixth, beat Saints

Eight-run inning propels Clear Lake into quarterfinals of Division 4 baseball playoffs

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LAKEPORT >> It was just a matter of time until Clear Lake’s offense broke through Wednesday afternoon against the St. Helena Saints in the opening round of the North Coast Section Division 4 baseball playoffs in Lakeport.

Playing St. Helena for the third time this season following 6-4 and 5-1 wins against the Saints in North Central League I action, Clear Lake obliterated a 1-0 deficit with an eight-run bottom of the sixth for an 8-1 victory that elevates the sixth-seeded Cardinals into the quarterfinals Saturday against No. 3 seed Berean Christian (17-8) of Walnut Creek. First pitch is 1 p.m. at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill.

“It’s the same thing that happened when we faced him in St. Helena,” Clear Lake head coach Brian Horne said of the Cardinals’ offense against Saints starter Charlie Blaum, who also carried a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning during the second league meeting between the two teams April 22. Clear Lake scored three times in the sixth and twice in the seventh to take the win.

“We finally got to him in that one, too,” Horne said.

Blaum and Clear Lake counterpart Sawyer Smith were locked in 0-0 pitcher’s duel through five innings. St. Helena broke throw with a run in the top of the sixth. Cole Joy tripled and scored on a dropped third strike that rolled away from catcher Zane McAuley.

The 1-0 lead didn’t last very long as the Cardinals’ bats finally woke up, and in a big way, in the bottom half of the inning.

McAuley reached on an error leading off the inning, Smith drew a walk, and David Cruz singled McAuley home to tie the game. Jesse Hayes followed with a long, long double to left field, clearing the bases and giving the Cardinals a 3-1 lead.

“He hit it to the football field fence (in left),” Horne said of Hayes (2-for-4), who has nine hits in his last 11 at-bats. “He crushed it.”

And the Cardinals’ big inning was only starting.

Johnny Gonzales followed with a RBI single into right field to make it 4-1, AJ Bruch walked and Ryken Villanueva grounded a ball off Blaum for an infield single that loaded the bases. With McAuley batting for the second time in the inning, the junior singled home a run for a 5-1 lead, then Smith drew his second walk of the inning to force in a run and make it 6-1. A pair of run-scoring passed balls pushed the Cardinals’ advantage to 8-1.

That was more than enough run support for Smith, who ended up striking out 13 Saints while scattering seven hits and walking none. Smith had a productive day at the plate as well, drawing walks in all four of his plate appearances.

“Sawyer pitched great,” Horne said of the junior. “He’s been pitching his butt off all season.”

Until the sixth inning, Blaum had a two-hit shutout going. While Horne said the St. Helena pitcher threw a strong game, the Cardinals were distracted by an incident earlier this season during league play that came to a head this week, though Horne didn’t want to elaborate because the matter had been resolved.

“I just want my guys to focus on baseball,” he said. “We definitely had a distraction and played distracted early on.”

Clear Lake squandered a couple of early scoring chances early on, one because of a baserunning mistake and another when the top of Clear Lake’s lineup failed to produce for one of the few times this season.

“The bottom of our order loaded the bases (with no outs),” Horne said.

But Blaum struck out Clear Lake’s two hottest hitters, Hayes and Gonzales, and got AJ Bruch to bounce back to the mound to end the inning.

McAuley and Cruz joined teammate Hayes with two hits apiece.

“Cruz had a couple of big hits for us,” Horne said.

Even trailing late, Horne said the Cardinals remained positive in the dugout and on the field throughout the game.

 “We’ve been resilient all year,” Horne said. “We didn’t put our heads down; we just went to work.”

Resiliency among his players aside, Horne said the missed scoring opportunity in the bottom of the fifth followed by his team’s breakout in the bottom of the sixth had him on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster.

“It’s stressful,” Horne said. “I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”

Blaum didn’t survive the Cardinal sixth. The first of two St. Helena relievers in the inning, Huck Anderson, allowed four runs with out recording an out. Blaum’s line was 5 1/3 innings, three hits, four runs (three earned) with two strikeouts and two walks.

Anderson and Sam Beck had two hits apiece for St. Helena.

TEAM NOTES: If the Cardinals prevail Saturday against Berean Christian, they’ll draw the winner between No. 2 seed Head-Royce and No. 7 American Canyon in the semifinals on Wednesday at the home site of the highest surviving seed. Wins by Clear Lake and American Canyon would put that semifinal in Lakeport … No. 4 seed Fort Bragg, a team that beat the Cardinals twice during league play, was upset 1-0 by No. 13 seed Las Lomas in Tuesday’s first round … With Fort Bragg’s and St. Helena’s departure from the postseason picture, Clear Lake and Kelseyville are the last two North Central League I teams standing.