JV Eagles log pair of wins, push to 10-0

The CHS junior varsity baseball squad kept its perfect season intact last week with wins over Middletown (9-7) and Fort Bragg (9-5).
The pair of NCL-1 victories pushed the Eagles’s overall record to 10-0 and 4-0 in league play, nearing the halfway mark in the spring schedule.
Cloverdale will be back on the diamond this week with scheduled games against St. Helena on Apr. 15 (after press time) followed by a trip to Clear Lake on Friday, Apr. 18.  The Eagles will host Kelseyville next Tuesday, Apr. 22 in a 4 p.m. start.
Both wins came in dramatic fashion last week, beginning with an April 8 meeting with Middletown. The Mustangs roughed up starting pitcher Chris Harms with three runs in the second inning and three more in the fifth before handing the ball to reliever Michael McDermott.  Trailing 7-3, the Eagles clawed back with three runs in both the sixth and seventh frames to escape with a dramatic 9-7 win.
Harms (4.2 IP, 4 hits, 3 ERs, 6 Ks) got a no-decision while McDermott (2.1 IP, 1 hit, 3 Ks) earned the win. Top hitters were Patrick Ojeda (3 for 3, 2 RBIs), Mason Meier (2 for 4, 2 runs), McDermott (1 for 3), Harms (1 for 4, 2 runs, RBI), and Jared Hibbeln (1 for 4, 2 runs, 2 RBIs).
Cloverdale had its hitting shoes securely fastened in Friday’s battle with visiting Fort Bragg, as both teams came out swinging.  Cloverdale answered a five-spot by the Wolverines in the first inning with four of its own in the bottom of the frame to trail 5-4 after one.
The score remained unchanged into the fifth when the Eagles exploded for five runs to gain separation for a 9-4 lead. Harms relieved McDermott in the third to pitch the final five innings as the Eagles closed out an eventual 9-5 win.  
Harms (5 IP, 1 hit, 0 ERs, 5 Ks) was solid in earning the victory, while McDermott (2 IP, 2 hits, 4 ERs, 2 Ks) got a no-decision.  Leading hitters were Harms (3 for 4, 2B, 2 runs, 3 RBIs), McDermott (2 for 3, run, 2 RBIs), Jeff Persons (1 for 1, 3B, run, 2 RBIs), Hibbeln (2 for 3, 2B, run), Cole Stroh (1 for 3, 2B, RBI), and Meier (1 for 4, 2B, run).  
Varsity notches win
The Cloverdale varsity squad recorded its first win of the campaign on Apr. 10, scoring a 5-3 win over host Lower Lake. The euphoria was short-lived as the Eagles fell to Fort Bragg, 5-4 the following day (no stats were reported).  The mixed result pushed the Eagles’ season record to 1-7 and 1-2 in league.