Softball Game Preview: Clear Lake Cardinals vs. Cloverdale Eagles

The Clear Lake Cardinals will square off against the Cloverdale Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Clear Lake will be strutting in after a victory while Cloverdale will be coming in after a defeat.

Clear Lake is headed into the game having just posted their closest win since April 10, 2024 on Thursday. They skirted past Fort Bragg 8-7. The victory continues a trend for the Cardinals in their matchups with the Timberwolves: they've now won three in a row.

Atiana Patino spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and six unearned) runs on seven hits and racked up six Ks. Those hits were her first of the season.

At the plate, Lindee Bingham was excellent, scoring a run while going 3-for-4. What's more, she posted two RBI, the most she's had since back in April of 2024. Cali Albaum was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.

Meanwhile, Cloverdale has relied on a stalwart pitchers averaging 2.6 runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Wednesday. They lost 11-1 to St. Helena. The match marked the Eagles' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Cloverdale saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Keiko Saito, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one double.

Clear Lake pushed their record up to 4-2 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.7 runs on average over those games. As for Cloverdale, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 9-1.

Clear Lake took their win against Cloverdale in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 6-0 score. Will the Cardinals repeat their success, or do the Eagles have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.