Three-run sixth pushes Clovers over White River Valley, 4-1

Friday, May 6, 2011

CLOVERDALE -- An impressive outing by pitcher Paige Guttierez was rewarded by a three-run sixth inning, propelling the home Clovers over the Wolverines from White River Valley on Thursday night.

The first three batters from either side were retired by each pitcher before a second inning single run for each side. White River Valley's Jasmine May smacked a double and advanced to third on a throwing error in the same play. She would be plated by Alexa Pearson's bobbled ground ball to the Cloverdale infield. The Clovers scored in a similar manner, using a Bradanne Toney double to get a runner in position for Heather Goss' single, tying the score at one.

Errors early on worried Cloverdale Head Coach Kim Bailey.

"We came out just a little too relaxed and had two errors right off the bat that were inexcusable. But we stuck it out. Luckily we only allowed them one run the whole game."

Both Guttierez and White River Valley's Jordan McHenry would allow base runners throughout the stretch of the game, but neither offensive side could string together enough hits to push a runner across. That is, until the Cloverdale half of the sixth inning.

The Clovers strung together some hits for the first time in the ball game, starting with a Kara Kapp double off the top of the left field fence. After a Toney ground out moved Kapp to third, Cloverdale put together five consecutive at bats in which a hitter reached safely, eventually totaling three runs in the inning.

"When we have two hits in a row, that's what gets our girls going. That's what we needed. That little rally got us going."

Guttierez finished the complete game with eleven strikeouts to only three walks and one run, while her nemesis McHenry managed just two strikeouts and one walk and all four runs. Goss finished as the only batter with more than one RBI on the night after knocking in both the tying and go-ahead runs.

At Cloverdale

W.R.Valley 100 000-- 1 2 1

Cloverdale 010 003 -- 4 9 2