Cloverdale drop double header against Edinburgh

Monday, April 4, 2011

CLOVERDALE -- After winning their season opener 5-3 over Bloomfield Thursday, Cloverdale's softball squad looked to continue their winning ways in a Saturday double header against Edinburgh.

On a windswept afternoon, the Lancers proved their Class A No. 12 ranking was not handed out lightly as they hammered the Clovers in both contests, winning 11-2 and 11-0.

Edinburgh started of the first game by grabbing a quick 1-0 lead before a two-run home run by Kara Knapp gave the Clovers the lead and things looked promising. In the bottom of the fourth, Cloverdale got two runners on but stranded the pair at second and third, missing a chance to add some runs.

Edinburgh wasted no time in capitalizing in the fifth inning.

There, the Lancers battered around the Clover pitching staff, scoring eight times before Cloverdale could record the final out. They would tack on two more runs in the seventh inning while the Clover bats fell silent.

Game two would not fair much better for the Clovers, who were walloped for 11 runs off 16 hits, while only managing five his of their own.

The Lancers scored once in the second inning before five runners crossed in the second. Edinburgh would take on runs in the fourth, sixth and three in the seventh to complete the shutout.

Early errors didn't help the Clovers in the first game, something that head coach Kim Bailey is trying to get the team to eliminate.

"In the first two innings, we made our pitcher [Kat Raizor] pitch to twelve, thirteen girls when she should have only pitched to six batters. The girls made errors in the outfield that should have been caught, one in the infield that should have been an out," Bailey said.

"By the time we got to the fifth inning, the batters started hitting (Kat) because they had seen her more than they should have. We put Paige Guttierez in later in the fifth and put her in a spot because she had done a lot of pitching and catching with catcher Heather Goss.

"Paige and Kat throw completely different. It flustered Heather, not really knowing how to catch Paige, but that's one that's on the coaching staff," Bailey added.

"But when we could get an out, we didn't get an out. We left a lot of runners on, four over two innings that we could have scored. We couldn't get them in when we had them on base."

The bats did not arrive in the second game for Cloverdale, which, coupled with early runs from the Lancers, prevented the Clovers from getting into the game.

"We just didn't hit the ball. When we got down 5-0, 6-0, 7-0, we weren't able to use any strategy. Occasionally, you can overcome errors in the field if you come in and play offense, but we weren't able to hit the ball at all," Bailey said.

"We did get a lot of the younger girls in the (second) game. We had freshmen at third, catcher, in the outfield and pitching at times. It helps the coaches know where we can put the girls in certain situations if we need to do so."

The experience of playing a ranked squad early will be helpful as the Clovers travel Monday to South Putnam. Bailey wants the squad to come out firing.

"We've got to come out and fight. We play South (Putnam), they're an excellent team. We'll be the underdogs. Everyone knows when you play them that they're the underdogs. We've got to go out there and just play hard."

At Cloverdale

Game 1

Edinburgh 100 080 2 -- 11

Cloverdale 200 000 0 -- 2

WP -- Brown

LP -- Raizor (1-1)

Game 2

Edinburgh 015 101 3 -- 11 16 0

Cloverdale 000 000 0 -- 0 5 1

WP -- Stinson

LP -- Raizor (1-2)

Next Game -- Cloverdale will host South Putnam tonight 4:30 p.m.