Lady Eagles on the verge of NCL-1 softball title

By Greg Clementi
Sports Editor
The Cloverdale Lady Eagles can clinch the NCL-1 softball championship this week when they close out the regular season with a critical game against Clear Lake.
At press time the Eagles (12-1, 15-5) were preparing to host the second-place Cardinals (11-1, 17-4) on May 13, with the game likely to determine the outright league champion. Clear Lake will close out the season on May 17 at Lower Lake.
Also looming large for the Eagles is a certain spot in the upcoming North Coast Section Division-4 playoff tournament, which starts next week. The NCS seeding committee convenes this Sunday, May 18 to fill out the 16-team bracket. Check the NCS website at www.cifncs.org for updated tourney information when it becomes available.  
Last week Cloverdale took care of business in a pair of league outings, slipping by Fort Bragg, 6-5 before jumping all over St. Helena, 16-0.  In another non-league game, the Eagles fell to Fortuna 2-1.
Sophomore ace Teanne Edens climbed the hill in the May 6 meeting at Fort Bragg, as Cloverdale erupted for three runs in the second inning to open up a 4-1 lead.  The Wolverines refused to roll over, staging a late rally before finally succumbing, 6-5.  
Edens (7 IP, 5 hits, 3 ERs, 9 Ks) earned the win, while top hitters included Jasmin Orozco (2 for 3, 2B, 3B, 2 runs, 2 RBIs), Amy Mora (1 for 4, run), Edens (1 for 4, run), Rignee DenBeste (1 for 3, run, RBI), Celeste Gastineau (1 for 3), Hailey Donahoo (1 for 3, RBI), Monica Lemley (1 for 4), and Jordyn Turner (1 for 4).
The Eagles were fresh off a 2-1 loss to Fortuna when they traveled to St. Helena on Friday, unleashing a ferocious, 15-hit attack on the Saints, highlighted by three homers off the bat of Turner in an impressive offensive showing.
Edens fired five innings of one-hit ball, yielding no earned runs and no walks while striking out seven to notch her 15th win of the campaign. Turner had a game for the ages, ripping four hits, including a double, three homers, four runs scored and five runs batted in.  
Also swinging hot bats for the Eagles were Mora (3 for 4, 3 runs, RBI), Orozco (2 for 4, 2B, run, RBI), Gastineau (2 for 4, 2B, 2 runs, 4 RBIs), Edens (1 for 3, 3 runs), DenBeste (1 for 4), Donahoo (1 for 4, run), and Kelsi Sibert (1 for 3).