Lady Cards, Knights drop two in Cloverdale

CLOVERDALE — Berean Christian scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings before beating the Clear Lake Cardinals 8-7 with a run in the eighth Saturday in the third-place game of the Cloverdale Softball Tournament.

Clear Lake (2-2) lost 5-0 to Fortuna earlier Saturday in the winner’s semifinal round.

Third place

The Cardinals pushed ahead 7-6 in the top of the seventh but ran themselves out of a bigger inning. It ended up costing them as Berean Christian got that run back in the bottom half on a wild pitch. Clear Lake loaded the bases with one out in the top of the eighth but couldn’t score. The Eagles won it in their next at-bat, scoring an unearned run with one out.

Clear Lake started three freshmen against Fortuna, according to head Scott Schaefers.

“It wasn’t freshmen mistakes that cost us, it was team mistakes,” Schaefers said.

Both teams committed three physical errors during the game but the Cardinals made a handful of mental mistakes, including a runner getting picked off third base, that really cost them.

“Better to make those mistakes now rather than in league,” Clear Lake assistant coach Marci Psalmonds said.

Clear Lake trailed 6-5 after five innings before pushing ahead with single runs in the sixth and seventh.

Lilianna Cruz, working in relief of freshman starter Atiana Patino, took the loss. She allowed two runs (one earned) but no hits in 2 1/3 innings, striking out one and walking none. Patino worked the first five innings, allowing six runs (three earned) on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks.

Clear Lake had four doubles among its six hits. Patino, Cruz, Sierra Bruch and Camrin Pivniska all had extra-base hits. Patino, Amber Smart and Stella Hill knocked in runs.

Semifinals

Fortuna pitcher Libby Johnston shut out the Cardinals on one hit early Saturday in the winner’s semifinal round.

“She was good,” Psalmonds said of Johnston, who struck out four, walked two and hit one. “We were popping everything up.”

“Thank bad weather for that, not having enough practice (time),” Schaefers added.

Cruz, the losing pitcher, had the only hit for Clear Lake, a leadoff double in the top of the fourth. She later advanced to third but was stranded there.

Cruz allowed five hits, four of them coming in Fortuna’s four-run bottom of the first when the Huskies had three singles and a two-run triple, all of those hits going to right field. Cruz struck out the first batter she faced in the inning and the final two.

Fortuna’s only other hit against the junior left-hander came in the fourth when the Huskies scored their final run.

Patino was named to the All-Tournament team.

Clear Lake is scheduled to host Upper Lake in a non-league game Wednesday at 4 p.m.

In other tournament action Saturday:

Ukiah 11, Kelseyville 3
Credo 10, Kelseyville 7

Kelseyville fell to Ukiah early Saturday in the consolation semifinals of the Cloverdale Tournament and later lost to Credo in the seventh-place game.

The Knights are now 2-3 on the season.

No statistics were reported.