Sports
St. Vincent Softball Defeated by Clear Lake at Home Game Tuesday
Clear Lake scores 13 runs in 5 innings
Clear Lake scored early and often to beat St. Vincent softball team 13-3 at a Petaluma game Tuesday night.
Right out of the gate, the Clear Lake Cardinals out Lakeport, Calif., put up four runs in the top of the first inning to open up an early lead. Heather White had a two-run double and Emily Wingler also had a run scoring double in the frame. The Mustangs came back in their half of the inning with a run after two outs.
Vanessa Hall roped a triple off the centerfield wall and was singled in by Kayla Marshall. The five-inning game improves Clear Lake's standing to 14 wins and two losses this season, 5-0 in the North County League to hold their lead in the division over St. Vincent.
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"This might be the best game we've hit the ball, we hit a little funk this past weekend," said Clear Lake coach Gary Pickle. "We made a couple adjustments and the girls carried those adjustments through today."
Morgan Psalmonds had a run scoring single and Coree Alexander drove in two runs with a double. The Cardinals took a 9-1 lead into the bottom of the second and that was more than enough for their starting pitcher Wingler.
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The Mustang offense could only muster two more hits and two more runs against Wingler who kept her opponents off-balance by mixing in her curveball and change-up pitches.
"They know us very well and they know who my power hitters are," said Don Jensen, the St. Vincent coach. "She was able to move the ball in and out on us and once you start coming from behind like that, now you're pressing and that makes their pitcher that much better."
A run in the fourth and three more in the fifth rounded out the scoring for Clear Lake. Both White and Wingler each were 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles. Wingler got the win, pitching five innings, yielding three runs on three hits, and striking out four. Hayley Olsen took the loss for the Mustangs.
"They just have a lot of respect for St. Vincent," said Pickle, "so we were ready to play when we got down here today."
