Lady Cats senior makes Manzano play for slight

Clovis junior Annie Tweedy swings at a pitch during Saturday’s game against Manzano Saturday at Clovis Softball Complex. CNJ photo by Eric Kluth.

Annoyed by Manzano’s strategy, Sara Salguero got even.

The Lady Monarchs intentionally walked Clovis High clean-up hitter Alicia Odom to get to Salguero with two outs in the fifth inning of Saturday’s District 4-5A softball game Saturday at Lady Wildcat Complex. The senior right fielder ruined the ploy with a tie-breaking, two-run single that sent the Lady Wildcats to a 10-1 victory.

Senior Paige Adare pitched no-hit ball for 5 2/3 innings and finished with a two-hitter as the Lady Cats (11-8, 2-3 district) took the series after the teams exchanged one-run decisions on Friday night.

The walk to Odom put runners at first and second. After both advanced on a passed ball, Salguero lined her hit into right-center field to give Clovis a 3-1 lead.

The Lady Monarchs (7-10, 1-2) came unraveled in the sixth, committing three errors as Clovis put the game away with a seven runs.

“It made me mad,” Salguero said of the intentional walk. “I guess they thought I couldn’t hit the ball, but I did.

“I knew we needed to win this game to (move up) in the district. Everybody hit the ball well today.”

The Lady Cats pounded out 13 hits, including five doubles, but for the second day in a row, were hurt by baserunning gaffes.

Clovis took a 1-0 lead in the second on a double by Adare and an RBI single by Samantha Ramos, but Manzano tied it in the third on a two-base error by Annie Tweedy, a sacrifice bunt and Adare’s wild pitch.

Adare (8-7) struggled with her control at times, walking four, but kept the game tied until the Clovis bats erupted late. She gave up an opposite-field, two-out single to left by Kassandra Sanchez in the sixth and Shante Payne’s two-out double in the seventh.

“I felt pretty good today,” Adare said of the brisk conditions. “It was tough to get loose, but it’s pretty much all mental. You can’t determine how you throw by the weather.

“I’m just really proud of all the girls; we worked hard this weekend. I wasn’t concerned (about the tie score). I knew we could come around.”

Everyone in the Clovis lineup except Odom had at least one hit, and she drew three walks — the last two intentional. In the sixth, shortstop Laura Wood hit her second double of the game to drive in two runs while left fielder Jordan Garrett capped the uprising with a two-run single.

Wood, Tweedy, Garrett, Ramos and Nicole Marez all had two hits.

“Our baserunning took us out early again, but late in the game we got it turned around with our sticks,” Clovis coach Larry Trower said. “Laura Wood did a lot of good stuff (defensively) in the series, and we started to hit the ball pretty consistently later in the game.”

Clovis is idle until traveling to Eldorado for a district series April 23-24.

Saturday

Clovis 10, Manzano 1

Manzano 001 000 0 — 1 2 3

Clovis 010 027 x —10 13 1

Emily Huhta and Tiffany Sisneros; Paige Adare and Alicia Odom. W — Adare (8-7). L — Huhta (7-9). DP — Manzano 2. LOB — Manzano 7, Clovis 7. 2B — Manzano: Shante Payne. Clovis: Laura Wood 2, Annie Tweedy, Cynthia Lucio, Adare. T — 1:31. Records — Clovis 11-8 (2-3), Manzano 7-10 (1-2).

JV scores — .

Friday

First game

Clovis 3, Manzano 2

Manzano 100 100 0 — 2 6 2

Clovis 100 200 x — 3 6 2

Huhta and Sisneros; Adare and Odom. W — Adare (7-6). L — Huhta (6-8). LOB — Manzano 7, Clovis 6. 2B — Manzano: Layna Nelson. 3B — Clovis: Odom. T —1:15.

Second game

Manzano 6, Clovis 5

Manzano 100 000 05 — 6 6 1

Clovis 000 001 04 — 5 10 4

Huhta and Sisneros; Adare and Odom. W — Huhta (7-8). L — Adare (7-7). DP — Manzano 2, Clovis 1. LOB — Manzano 4, Clovis 7. 2B — Manzano: Nelson. Clovis: Lucio. 3B — Clovis: Salguero. T — 1:35.

JV scores — Clovis 3, Manzano 0 (Friday); Manzano 11, Clovis 0; Manzano 4, Clovis 2 (Saturday).