Girls land top seed in Division-5; boys seeded 13th
Cloverdale High School will be playoff central this week as Eagles’ varsity softball and baseball teams embark on the final phase of the season.
Both squads landed spots in their respective North Coast Section Division-5 playoff tournaments, with the girls earning the number one spot, while the boys will represent the 13th seed.
At press time the Eagles baseball squad was preparing to visit number four Stuart Hall in San Francisco on May 24 in an opening round NCS clash. Should Cloverdale pull an upset, it will advance to play the winner of the St. Vincent de Paul-Sonoma Academy contest on May 27 or 28 (TBD).
Meanwhile the top-seeded Lady Eagles (18-3) were awarded a first-round bye in the NCS softball tournament and will host the winner of the Hoopa Valley-Calistoga game on May 27 or 28 (TBD). Check the NCS website at
www.cifncs.org for updated bracket information as it becomes available.
Softballers on a roll
The Lady Eagles are riding a wave of momentum heading into NCS, no doubt the byproduct of four straight shutout victories, including a 16-0 shellacking of Kelseyville in the league finale.
“We’re looking forward to stage three of our season, the playoffs,” CHS head coach Margaret Fitzgerald said. “Everyone plays their season to reach the NCS Championships and our girls put themselves in a great position to take home the title.”
The Lady Eagles will have tradition on their side, considering Cloverdale teams have been to the NCS championship game 17 times and have won nine section titles, more than any school in Northern California.
“We have to play one game at a time and execute on the field,” Fitzgerald noted. “This team understands Cloverdale’s rich softball tradition and will represent our school and community well.”
The ladies took care of business in the league finale at Kelseyville on May 18, jumping all over the Knights to plate 10 runs in the first two frames on their way to a 16-0 rout.
Ace hurler Teanne Edens continued to baffle opposing hitters, crafting a five-inning, three-hit, 10 strikeout gem. Top hitters were Edens (4 for 5, 2 2Bs, HR, 3 runs, 4 RBIs), Heather Sterling (3 for 3, 2B, run, 3 RBIs), Jordyn Turner (2 for 4, HR, run, 2 RBIs), Hailey Donahoo (1 for 3, 2 runs, RBI) and Amber Adams (1 for 3, 2 runs, 2 RBIs).
Cloverdale finished up NCL-1 play with a second-place mark of 12-2.
Baseballers fall in
league finales
The varsity baseball Eagles (12-9) find themselves mired in a four-game losing skid after finishing league play with back-to-back setbacks to NCL-1 champion Kelseyville last week. Cloverdale completed regular season play with a record of 9-5.
The Eagles paid first-place Kelseyville a visit on May 18, with five fielding errors helping to spot the Knights a 5-1 lead after three. Cloverdale rallied with one in the fourth and three in the fifth to knot the game at 5-5, but the Knights would plate the winning run in their final at-bat to emerge with a 6-5 win.
Cloverdale pitcher Chris Harms (7 IP, 3 hits, 2 ERs, 6 Ks) deserved better, while top hitters were Drew Edens (2 for 3), Pat Ojeda (2 for 4, run), Angel Vega (2 for 4, 2B, 2 RBIs), Kamrin Mitchell (2 for 3, 2 runs, RBI) and James Wirt (1 for 3).
The Eagles played host to the Knights the next day, sending Michael McDermott (7 IP, 6 hits, ER, 6 Ks) to the hill in the league finale. Kelseyville capitalized on another four Cloverdale errors to score runs in the first, third, fifth and seventh innings on their way to a 4-1 win.
Top hitters included Wirt (2 for 3, RBI), Ojeda (1 for 3) and McDermott (1 for 3).
