CARDINALS GO EXTRA INNINGS
Colusa rallies from late 4-3 deficit to hand Clear Lake 7-5 loss in eight innings
Without aid of a hit in the top of the eighth inning, the Colusa Redhawks manufactured two runs to edge the Clear Lake Cardinals 7-5 in nonleague varsity baseball action Tuesday afternoon in Lakeport.
While the Cardinals (0-3) couldn’t come up with their first win of the 2021 season, they certainly showed a great deal improvement from a season-opening 13-3 loss to the very same Colusa squad in five innings on March 12 at Colusa.
“The guys really turned it around,” Clear Lake head coach Ed Pepper said. “We came out today ready to play against Colusa and I think we caught them off guard, and I’m not trying to take anything away from Colusa.”
The Cardinals also lost 14-3 in five innings at Middletown on Friday, but Pepper said his young and resilient club had a good practice Monday and was ready to go against the Redhawks on Tuesday.
“It’s still early and we’re a young team, but we are getting progressively better with each game. I know other teams are going to take us lightly, I hope they do.”
Clear Lake took a 4-3 lead into the sixth inning on the strength of a well-pitched game by Drake Smart, who wasn’t around at the end and received a no-decision. Colusa scored two unearned runs in the top of the sixth to go up 5-4, but the Cardinals pulled even at 5-all on Jonathon Werner’s RBI fielder’s choice in the bottom half.
Smart quickly retired the first two Colusa batters in the top of the seventh but had to leave the game at that point because his pitch count had reached 115 (he was at 109 before facing his final batter, one shy of the 110 allowed by the rules).
The next two Colusa hitters reached base against Clear Lake reliever Connor Johnson before the right-hander wiggled his way out of the mini-jam by getting a grounder to shortstop that resulted in a force play at second base.
Clear Lake had a golden opportunity to win the game in the bottom of the seventh as freshman Hank Ollenberger led off with a double into the left-center field gap. He advanced to third base on Johnson’s groundout to the right side, but the Cardinals couldn’t get him home. Christian Oliver struck out and Ryan
Ollenberger drew a walk before Maddox Albaum grounded out to shortstop to end the inning.
“We didn’t convert and that’s what’s killing us right now,” Pepper said. “We’re leaving too many men on base. We have to figure out a way to keep our bats going.”
The Redhawks’ winning rally in the top of the eighth came without benefit of a hit. A walk, an error and hit batsman loaded the bases with two outs for Blake Kalfsbeek, who was behind in the count 1-2 when a Johnson breaking pitch came too far inside and plunked Kalfsbeek on the arm, which forced in what proved to be the winning run. Colusa’s Tyler Moss then worked the count full before drawing a walk to force in another run. A strikeout finally ended the inning.
Clear Lake got its leadoff batter aboard in the bottom of the eighth on a Colusa fielding error, but winning pitcher Drew Bradbury, working his seventh inning of relief, retired the next three batters to end it. Bradbury, like Clear Lake’s Smart, was rapidly closing in on the maximum pitch count. He was at 106 when the game ended.
Colusa is now 4-0, all four of its wins coming against Lake County opponents.
Clear Lake spotted Colusa a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning but any thoughts of a repeat blowout loss to the Redhawks went out the window in the bottom of the first when Clear Lake scored three times, Hank Ollenberger’s two-out, two-run single giving Clear Lake its first lead of the season.
Ryan Ollenberger led off the Cardinal first with a walk, Albaum singled him to third base, and both runners advanced — Ollenberger scoring and Albaum going to second on a wild pitch by Colusa starting pitcher Luke Kalfsbeek. After a walk to Smart and a strikeout, Werner walked to load the bases. Following a strikeout, Hank Ollenberger punched a 2-1 pitch into right field to score Albaum and Smart.
The Cardinals went up 4-2 in the bottom of the second an Ethan Maize two-out RBI single. The Redhawks closed to 4-3 in the top of the third on a run-scoring error with two outs. Smart and Bradbury put zeroes on the scoreboard until the sixth inning.
Neither team had a stellar day in the field, Clear Lake committing eight errors to Colusa’s four. Only three of the five runs allowed by Smart were earned while Bradbury allowed only two runs, one earned, over the final seven innings while striking out nine and walking two. Smart struck out six and walked two in 6 2/3 innings.
Hank Ollenberger sparked Clear Lake’s ninehit attack by going 3-for4. Albaum and Maize each finished with two hits.
Clear Lake again tries for its first win of the season Friday at home against Upper Lake at 4 p.m. Colusa returns home Friday to play Middletown (11) at 4 p.m.