Lower Lake scores two in seventh to earn 5-5 tie at Calistoga
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SEBASTOPOL >> It didn’t end the way Clear Lake High School varsity baseball head coach Brian Horne had hoped, but there’s no disputing the Cardinals are one battle-tested team as they prepare to embark on their North Central League I schedule Tuesday with a road doubleheader at Lower Lake.
Clear Lake (4-5-1) closed out its preseason schedule Wednesday with a 16-0 loss in five innings to Analy High School in the consolation championship game of the 30th annual Al Rabinovitz Tournament, one that featured seven large schools and the small-school Cardinals. Clear Lake lost 6-0 to eventual tournament champion Ukiah in the opening round before beating Eureka 7-6 in nine innings in the consolation semifinals.
The non-league portion of the Cardinals’ schedule also included a 1-2-1 finish in another school for large schools, the Pleasant Valley Tournament in Chico, and single games against Swett, Branson and Willits.
“We just kind of laid an egg,” Horne said of the Cardinals’ effort against an Analy team that busted things wide open with an 11-run bottom of the fourth inning. “We got behind the eight ball early and couldn’t recover.”
A usually dependable Clear Lake defense was anything but, according to Horne.
“We were lacking focus,” Horne said of the season-worst seven errors committed by the Cardinals.
It was a 5-0 game going to the bottom of the fourth and with Clear Lake starting pitcher Sawyer Smith still on the mound when things fell apart. Smith ended up working three-plus innings and allowing six hits, nine runs (five earned) with four strikeouts and three walks.
Clear Lake finished with five hits at the plate, two of them by leadoff man Jesse Hayes (2-for-2). Ryken Villanueva close out a strong tournament (5-for-10) by going 1-for-2 with a double.
“Ryken Villanuevea had a great tournament,” Horne said.
Smith and Zane McAuley had the other Clear Lake hits.
Clear Lake is looking to win its first league title since 2015 when the Cardinals went 14-0. In fact, the Cardinals won their first 26 games that year, a streak Head Royce broke with a 7-3 victory over Clear Lake in the section semifinals.
A year ago, Clear Lake finished second to Kelseyville in the league standings. The Cardinals advanced to the Division 4 playoffs and reached the championship game, falling 5-1 to Las Lomas of Walnut Creek, a Division 2 team.
“Some of the pitchers we’ve faced so far, I don’t think we’re going to see many arms like that in our league,” Horne said.
In other non-league action Wednesday:
Upper Lake 10, Laytonville 9
At Upper Lake, the Upper Lake Cougars built a 10-4 lead and then held on to edge the Laytovnille Warriors, who rallied with two runs in the sixth and three in the seventh.
Winning pitcher Carlos Narvaes worked the first four innings, allowing five hits, one run, striking out four and walking one.
Upper Lake (2-3) went up 3-0 in the first inning and added single runs in the third and fourth to go up 5-1. After Laytonville closed to 5-4 in the top of the fifth, the Cougars responded with five runs in the bottom half for a 10-4 lead.
Mikel Compton went 2-for-2 with a triple and RBI for Upper Lake while Carter Perry went 3-for-4.
“Defensively, we had a hard time fielding in the outfield, which led to costly errors,” Upper Lake assistant coach Wyatt Hensley said. “However, we have improved immensely in our baserunning, which is why we secured the win today.”
Added Hensley, “I’m super proud to see their improvement on the field each game.”
Upper Lake hosts Willits on Friday at 4 p.m.
Lower Lake 5, Calistoga 5 (tie, 7 inn., darkness)
At Calistoga, Lower Lake scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning to tie the score at 5-5, but the non-league game was called on account of darkness after the Wildcats failed to score in the bottom of the inning.
No other information was reported.
Lower Lake (2-3-1) hosts Clear Lake in a North Central League I doubleheader Tuesday beginning at 1 p.m. It’s the league opener for both teams.
