Cloverdale on bubble for NCS playoff berth
It’s down to crunch time for the varsity baseball Eagles this week, hoping to close out the league schedule on a strong note.
At press time Cloverdale (6-7, 9-11) was prepping for the NCL1 finale against visiting Lower Lake on May 7, before looking ahead to a possible North Coast Section Division 5 playoff berth. The NCS seeding committee meets this Sunday, May 12 to fill out the divisional brackets.
“Hopefully, with a win this week we still have a shot,” CHS coach Ben West said. “We have the talent and pitching to make a run if we play the game I know this team is capable of.”
The Eagles are coming off another tough week on the league diamond, extending their losing skid to four games with setbacks to Middletown (6-1) and St. Helena (13-5).
“Last week was a disappointing one with a couple of bright spots, but overall we didn’t play well and it showed,” West noted.
Eagles drop a pair
Cloverdale played host to Middletown on April 30, as starting pitcher Keller Sibert (4. 1 IP, 9 hits, 6 ERs, 3 Ks) put up zeroes through the first three innings. The Mustangs rallied for four runs in the fateful fourth frame, adding another pair in the seventh en route to a 6-1 Middletown victory. Top hitters were Josh Lemley (2 for 3, run), Logan Axell (1 for 3), David Alvarez (1 for 3) and Tyler Ruys (1 for 3).
Things started well enough for the Eagles in the May 3 visit to St. Helena, grabbing a 4-0 lead in the top of the first. The Saints fought back with three in the bottom of the frame, adding another combined 10 runs by the fifth inning on their way to a 13-5 win.
