Cloverdale teams to host St. Helena this Friday, April 15
It’s been a great start to the league campaign for Cloverdale High School varsity baseball and softball teams, racing to identical 3-0 records in NCL-1 action to share the top spot in the standings.
The three-time defending league champion Lady Eagles pushed their unbeaten record to 8-0 overall with recent wins over Fort Bragg (8-0), Calistoga (15-2), and Lower Lake (17-2), to vault into first place with Clear Lake.
At the start of play this week, Cloverdale and Clear Lake were at 3-0, followed by Lower Lake (2-1), Willits (1-1), Kelseyville (1-2), Fort Bragg (0-1), St. Helena (0-2) and Middletown (0-3).
Cloverdale has been nothing short of impressive in the first month of the season, outscoring its opponents, 76-7 through the first eight games. Ace senior pitcher Teanne Edens (6-0, 0.00 ERA) has struck out 67 batters in 33 innings pitched, while freshman back-up Sydney Hage (2-0, 0.00 ERA) has been solid in fanning 26 batters in 19 innings. The Eagles have a .358 team batting average, led by Edens (.586 BA) and senior catcher Jordyn Turner (.480 BA).
This week, the Lady Eagles will host Clear Lake on April 12 (after press time), and entertain St. Helena this Friday, April 15. Cloverdale will visit Willits next Tuesday, April 19. All games start at 4 p.m.
Meanwhile the Eagles baseball squad (6-4 overall) moved into a tie for first place with Kelseyville at 3-0 with convincing league victories over Fort Bragg (11-2), and Lower Lake (11-4). Rounding out the NCL-1 standings are Middletown (2-1), St. Helena (1-1), Fort Bragg (1-1), Clear Lake (1-2), Lower Lake (0-3) and Willits (0-3).
Girls take charge
The Lady Eagles easily dispatched all three opponents last week, beginning with an 8-0 shutout over visiting Fort Bragg on April 5. Edens (7 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 15 Ks) fired a perfect game, while top hitters were Turner (3 for 4, 2B, 2 runs, RBI), Bailey Creager (3 for 4, 2 2Bs, 2 runs, 2 RBIs), Bailey Stewart (2 for 4, run), Edens (1 for 4, 2B, 2 runs, RBI), Amber Adams (1 for 2, 2B), Hage (1 for 3, 2 RBIs), Hailey Donahoo (1 for 4, RBI) and Heather Sterling (1 for 3).
It was more of the same the following day against traveling Calistoga, as Cloverdale broke a 2-2 first-inning tie with 13 unanswered runs in the next three frames en route to a 15-2 win. Hage (5 IP, 2 hits, 0 ERs, 8 Ks) earned the win, while leading batters were Donahoo (3 for 3, 3 runs), Stewart (3 for 3, 2B, 3 runs), Hage (2 for 3, 2 2Bs, run), Edens (2 for 4, 3B, 2 runs, 3 RBIs), Creager (2 for 3, run, 4 RBIs), Sterling (2 for 3, 2 runs) and Turner (1 for 2, 3 runs, RBI).
The girls played their third game in as many days at Lower Lake on April 7, scoring five runs in the fifth and nine more in the sixth to force an early stoppage in a 17-2 victory in six innings. Edens (5 IP, 4 hits, 0 ERs, 11 Ks) got the win while Hage (1 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs) was perfect in mop-up duty. Top hitters were Edens (5 for 5, 2B, 3 runs, 5 RBIs), Creager (2 for 5, 2B, 2 runs, 2 RBIs), Hage (2 for 5, 2B, 2 runs, 2 RBIs), Turner (2 for 3, 4 runs, RBI), Stewart (1 for 3, 2 runs, RBI) and Adams (1 for 3, 2B, run, RBI).
Baseballers notch wins
The Eagles sent ace pitcher Chris Harms to the mound in the April 5 clash with visiting Fort Bragg, and the senior veteran responded with a complete game, five hit, nine strikeout effort in cruising to an 11-2 win.
Pacing the Eagles offense were James Wirt (3 for 5, 2B, run), Angel Vega (3 for 4, 2 runs), Nick Menzell (2 for 4, 3 RBIs), Drew Edens (2 for 4, 3 runs, 2 RBIs) and Jared Hibbeln (1 for 2, 3 runs, RBI).
Cloverdale hit the road to Lower Lake on April 8, as Hibbeln (4.1 IP, 5 hits, 3 ERs, 5 Ks), and Wirt (2.1 IP, 2 hits, 0 ERs, 4 Ks) joined forces in an 11-4 win. Leading hitters included freshman Drew Edens (3 for 5, 2 runs, RBI), Harms (3 for 4, 3 runs, 2 RBIs), Pat Ojeda (2 for 3, 2 runs, 3 RBIs), Wirt (2 for 5, run), Cole Stroh (1 for 2), Hibbeln (1 for 4, 2 runs, RBI) and Mason Kostoff (1 for 2).