The varsity baseball Eagles are getting hot at just the right time, notching recent wins over St. Helena (4-3) and Lower Lake (8-2).
At press time Cloverdale (9-7, 7-4) was preparing to visit Sonoma Academy on May 13 in a non-league clash, before coming home to host Fort Bragg this Friday, May 14. The Eagles will begin their final three-game stretch next Tuesday when they visit Clear Lake. All games start at 4 p.m.
The Eagles traveled to St. Helena on May 6, jumping on Saint’s pitching for three runs in the opening frame. The score was unchanged until the St. Helena fifth, when the Saints pushed across a pair of runs, cutting the deficit to 3-2. The Eagles tallied what proved to be an important insurance run in the seventh inning and held off a Saint’s rally in their final at-bat in a 4-3 Cloverdale victory.
“The played very well, it was a great bounce back win after two tough games,” Eagle’s coach Ben West said. “We had great focus, were very involved and everyone played a crucial role in the game.”
Freshman Emilio Diaz (3.1 IP, 6 hits, 3 ERs, 2 Ks) picked up the win while Josh Lemley (3.2 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER, 5Ks) also pitched well for Cloverdale. Collecting hits were Andy Herrera (1 for 2, run), Collin Patterson (1 for 2, RBI) and Josh Lemley (1 for 3, run).
The Eagles had a quiet day against St. Helena pitching, but made the most of their three hits.
“Small ball and capitalizing on opportunities helped us win the game,” West noted. “We played great defense and our pitchers competed for all seven innings.”
Cloverdale resumed league play on May 11 against visiting Lower Lake, riding the strong arm of junior starter David Alvarez (7 IP, 6 hits, 2 ERs, 0 BBs, 8 Ks) in a masterful performance. The Eagles led 3-2 when they exploded for five runs in the fifth inning to bust it wide open and never looked back en route to an 8-2 victory. Swinging hot bats were Alvarez (2 for 3, 2 runs), Herrera (1 for 3, run), Diaz (1 for 3, run, 2 RBIs), Patterson (1 for 4), Caden Axell (1 for 3, RBI) and Lemley (1 for 2, 2 runs).
