The varsity baseball Eagles hit a road-bump in NCL1 baseball action, dropping close decisions to Kelseyville (6-5) and Fort Bragg (5-2).
The setbacks dropped Cloverdale to fifth place in the league standings with a 6-5 record and an even 9-9 overall heading into the final week of the regular season.
The boys will begin a push for a possible postseason berth this week with final league games with Middletown (April 30, after press time), at St. Helena (May 3) and home against Lower Lake (May 7, Senior Day). All games start at 4 p.m.
“It was a tough week for us, we didn’t play our best against Kelseyville, but Fort Bragg is a great team and I was happy with the way the boys competed for most of the game,” CHS coach Ben West said. “The goal is to keep that focus into this week and capitalize on opportunities we have in close games.”
The April 23 visit to Kelseyville was a back-and-fourth battle, with the teams setting the tone with three runs apiece in the opening frame. The score was knotted at 5-5 until the fifth, when the Knights pushed across what proved to be the winning run en route to a 6-5 Kelseyville win.
“Kelseyville and us are very similar teams in talent and abilities and when we play each other it comes down to the teams that capitalize on big plays and make fewest mistakes,” West noted. “They were able to capitalize on our mistakes this game.”
Pitchers Keller Sibert (3.2 IP, 6 hits, 2 ERs, 4 Ks) and Dylan Scaramella (2.1 IP, 2 hits, 0 ERs, 2 Ks) were solid, while top hitters included Drew Edens (1 for 2, run, RBI), Josh Lemley (1 for 3, run), Logan Axell (1 for 3, RBI), Sibert (1 for 4, run) and Tyler Ruys (1 for 2, RBI).
The Eagles entertained Fort Bragg in Friday’s home tilt, with the Timberwolves erasing a 2-0 deficit in a five-run seventh inning to score an unlikely, 5-2 victory.
Scaramella (6 IP, 4 hits, 3 ERs, 2 Ks) deserved a better fate, while leading batters were Lemley (1 for 3, 2B, run) and Edens (1 for 3, run).
