Softball Preview: Clear Lake Cardinals vs. Lower Lake Trojans
Clear Lake is 10-0 against Lower Lake since May of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Clear Lake Cardinals will head out on the road to square off against the Lower Lake Trojans at 4:00 p.m. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Clear Lake will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Friday, then bounced right back against Fort Bragg on Wednesday. Clear Lake walked away with a 12-9 victory over Fort Bragg. With that win, Clear Lake brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Atiana Patino spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned (and five unearned) runs on nine hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than six innings in three consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Clear Lake let Lindee Bingham and Amber Smart loose on the outfield. Bingham scored two runs while going 1-for-3, while Smart scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Ashlynn Cruz, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Lower Lake stacked a seventh blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Monday. They blew past Kelseyville 10-3.
Mariah Bal made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 17 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off two hits. Bal was also stellar in the batter's box, firing off two home runs, three runs, and three RBI while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances.
In other batting news, Jamiya Lee-Ayers was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing four bases while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances. Rebecca Theodorou was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 4-for-5.
Clear Lake's victory bumped their record up to 9-4. As for Lower Lake, their win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 10-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Clear Lake has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Lower Lake struggles in that department as they've been averaging 10.7. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Clear Lake was able to grind out a solid victory over Lower Lake in their previous matchup on April 2nd, winning 3-0. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Bal, who struck out ten batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Clear Lake still be able to contain Bal? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
