11-run fourth inning turns pitcher’s duel into one-sided affair
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LAKEPORT >> Cloverdale scored 11 times in the top of the fourth inning, helped out by five Clear Lake errors, and the Eagles kept the heat on the St. Helena Saints atop the North Central League I softball standings with a 17-1 win in five innings Thursday afternoon in Lakeport.
“That doesn’t help a lot,” Clear Lake head coach Scott Schaefers said of the Cardinals’ numerous infield blunder that turned a pitcher’s duel between Cloverdale sophomore Camryn Bird and Clear Lake freshman Sophia Gonzales.
“Sophia was pitching a good game up until then,” Schaefers said.
The Cardinals managed to get eight hits against Bird, one of the top pitchers in the league.
“What did we get against her last time, two or three?” Schaefers said of an 11-1 loss to the Eagles when the two teams squared off April 7 in Cloverdale (Clear Lake had two hits). “So that shows improvement. We hit the ball hard, but some of those found their gloves.”
Amelie Davis went 2-for-3 with a double off the fence as she made a bid for her Lake County-leading sixth home run of the season. She’s currently tied with Kelseyville’s Josie Keithly for the Lake County lead with five. Cali Albaum also went 2-for-2 with a RBI for the Cardinals. Other Clear Lake hits went to Kam Cresto, Atiana Patino, Ashlynn Cruz and Faith McIntire.
The loss snapped Clear Lake’s three-game league winning streak.
Clear Lake’s final three league games are Tuesday in Kelseyville, Friday, May 7 at home against Lower Lake (senior day), and Tuesday, May 12 at Middletown.
