Baseball secures 3rd place; softball team on verge of repeat
Cloverdale High School baseball and softball teams figure to reap the rewards of a season well-played this week as they prepare for the all-important postseason. Â
At press time the defending NCL-1 champion Lady Eagles (12-1, 17-4) were on the verge of capturing a share of the 2015 league crown, with just a May 19 date with Middletown left on the schedule. Should the ladies win as expected, they will join Clear Lake (13-1) as co-champions. They also figure to land a decent seed in the upcoming North Coast Section playoffs next week.
Meanwhile, the varsity baseball Eagles wrapped up league play on Monday with a 5-1 victory over visiting Middletown to finish the NCL-1 schedule with a third-place mark of 10-4, and 15-9 on the year. Cloverdale will now place its fortunes in the hands of the NCS playoff committee, which meets this Sunday, May 24 to fill out the 16-team tournament bracket.
Ladies turn back foes
The Lady Eagles took a major step toward a title repeat last week with a pair of wins, beginning with a May 12 meeting with visiting Lower Lake.
Cloverdale took a 2-0 lead after four before busting it open with a four-run uprising in the fifth inning for a commanding lead. The Trojans scratched for a solo run in the seventh, but the Eagles claimed a 6-1 victory.
Pitcher Teanne Edens continued her mastery of league opponents, firing seven innings of two-hit ball, yielding one earned run while fanning eight in a sparkling effort. Top hitters were Edens (2 for 3, HR, 2 runs, RBI), Sierra Morse (2 for 3, 2B, RBI), Bailey Stewart (1 for 3, run, 2 RBIs), Ashley Durant (1 for 3, run) and Monica Lemley (1 for 4, run, RBI).
The outcome was never in doubt in the May 15 visit to Willits, as Cloverdale jumped their hosts for 18 unanswered runs in the first three innings, the big blows coming on homers from Lemley and Bailey Creager. The Wolverines had no answer for Edens, who allowed just one hit while striking out 12 of 15 batters faced en route to a 22-0 win in five innings.
Top hitters for the Eagles included Jordyn Turner (3 for 3, 4 runs, RBI), Lemley (3 for 4, HR, 4 runs, 4 RBIs), Edens (2 for 4, 2B, 2 runs, RBI), Bailey Creager (2 for 5, 2B, HR, 2 runs, 8 RBIs), Stewart (1 for 2, 4 runs, 2 RBIs), Celeste Gastineau (1 for 3, 2 runs, RBI) and Josie Marrufo (1 for 3, 2 runs).
