Cloverdale holds its own destiny in final week of play
The race for a coveted NCL 1 softball title will likely be decided this week as the Cloverdale Lady Eagles make a final push for the pennant.
At press time the Eagles (11-1, 17-3) were tied with Kelseyville for the top spot in the league standings, preparing for a titanic May 16 clash with the visiting Knights that should decide the champion. Cloverdale will close out the NCL 1 schedule on Wednesday, May 17 (Senior Day) against visiting Lower Lake. Both games start at 4 p.m.
Cloverdale did nothing to hurt its chances last week with lopsided home and away wins over St. Helena (11-0) and Willits (11-4).
It was the Tehya Bird show in the Eagles’ May 9 tilt with the visiting Saints, as the freshman phenom fired three innings of hitless ball before turning it over to Hannah Bireschi (2 IP, 0 hits) in the fourth on a combined no-hit shutout.
Cloverdale set the tone in an 8-run first inning and never looked back en route to an 11-0 rout. Top hitters included Bird (3 for 3, 3B, HR, 3 runs, 3 RBIs), Heather Sterling (3 for 3, 3 runs, 3 RBIs), Josie Marrufo (2 for 3, run, 2 RBIs) and Angelina Cordova (2 for 3, run).
It was more of the same on May 11 in Willits, as the Eagles jumped on the Wolverines for a combined six runs in the first three frames in cruising to an 11-4 victory.
Bird (7 IP, 6 hits, 3 ERs, 10 Ks) notched her 17th win, while leading hitters were Bird (3 for 4, 2B, HR, 2 runs, 2 RBIs), Lane Hughes (2 for 3, 2 runs, 2 RBIs), Nicky Martinez (1 for 3, run, RBI), Sterling (1 for 4, 3 runs), Emma Adams (1 for 2, run), Marrufo (1 for 4, run) and Cordova (1 for 4, run).
Baseballers notch win
The varsity baseball Eagles (3-8, 4-11) climbed back in the win column on May 9 against visiting St. Helena, riding the hot hand of pitcher Kamrin Mitchell in a 3-0 shutout win.
Mitchell limited the Saints to just four hits on the day, while teammates Keller Sibert (2 for 3), BJ Grady (2 for 2), James Wirt (2 for 3, 2B), Dylan Scaramella (1 for 4) and Mitchell (1 for 3) accounted for Cloverdale’s eight hits.
The Eagles fell back to earth in Friday’s visit to Willits, as the Wolverines outlasted Cloverdale in a barnburner, 11-9.
The Eagles will close out the league campaign this week with home games against Kelseyville (May 16) and Lower Lake (May 18, 4 p.m.).
