#3 Cloverdale set for semifinal clash at #2 St. Vincent on May 31
The Lady Eagles are alive and well in the North Coast Section Division 5 softball playoffs, thanks in large part to a miraculous rally in their final at-bat on Saturday to pull out a wild, 11-10 win over visiting Clear Lake.
The victory propelled #3 Cloverdale (19-4) into the NCS semifinals against #2 St. Vincent (14-5) on Wednesday, May 31 (after press time) in Petaluma. Should the Eagles win they will advance to the tournament championship game against the survivor of #1 Berean Christian versus #4 Head Royce on June 2 or 3 (date and time TBA).
The Eagles have a recent history with their semifinal opponent, with the Mustangs owning a 7-3 win over Cloverdale in the season opener on March 10.
Eagles emerge in wild one
The NCS quarterfinal clash with #6 Clear Lake on May 27 was the very definition of a barnburner, with Eagles ace Tehya Bird firing three perfect innings as Cloverdale built a seemingly comfortable 7-0 lead.
Not so fast, as the Cardinals rallied for four runs in the fourth and sixth innings to knot the contest at 8-8.
Clear Lake surged ahead with two more runs in top of the seventh, but the Eagles would have the final say, plating three in the bottom of the frame to escape with an 11-10 victory.
Bird (7 IP, 10 hits, 8 ERs, 7 Ks) notched her 18th season win, while leading hitters included Lane Hughes (2 for 3, 2B, run, 3 RBIs),Hannah Bireschi (2 for 3, 2 runs, RBI), Josie Marrufo (2 for 5, run, RBI), Heather Sterling (2 for 2, 3 runs), Emma Adams (1 for 4, RBI), Nicky Martinez (1 for 1, 2 RBIs) and Bird (4 runs).