Cavegirls shut down Lady Cats

CARLSBAD — The Carlsbad Cavegirls took their unusual position atop the District 4-5A softball standings Friday night.

The Cavegirls beat Clovis High 3-0 in a competitive first game, then rode a five-inning perfect game from Carolyn Garcia to a 6-0 victory in Game 2.

The nightcap was called in the bottom of the fifth due to lightning, and Saturday morning’s scheduled series finale was wiped out by overnight rains.

“We played a good first game, but the second game it seemed like we came out really flat,” Clovis coach Larry Trower said. “We had people hit the ball (in the opener), but we hit it right at people.”

Clovis (9-7, 0-2 district) missed a chance to take the lead in the third inning of the first game.

With runners at second and third and one out, Annie Tweedy hit a fly ball to deep center which would have scored at least one run. But the runner on second did not tag up, and the Cavegirls doubled her off to escape the inning.

Clovis collected four singles off Carlsbad’s Veronica Castillo, but the Lady Cats wasted a pair of bases-loaded opportunities.

“We had chances to score in that game, if we could’ve gotten hits at the right time,” Trower said.

Carlsbad (8-6, 2-0) broke through against Clovis starter Paige Adare on an RBI single by Ashley Ingram in the third and a two-run single by Carolyn Smith in the fourth.

Adare (6-6) went the distance for the Lady Cats, allowing nine hits with three walks and three strikeouts.

In the second game, the Cavegirls erupted for four second-inning runs against Tweedy (3-1), highlighted by catcher Whitney Galindo’s two-run single. Adare took over with one out and finished in the circle for Clovis.

Garcia struck out eight of the 15 batters she faced, and Carlsbad added single runs in the third and fourth.

Trower, whose team hosts a district series against Manzano this weekend, said he’s confident his team will bounce back.

“If we can play the rest of our games like we did the first game against Carlsbad, I think we’ll be OK,” he said.

Friday

First game

Carlsbad 3, Clovis 0

Clovis 000 000 0 — 0 4 2

Carlsbad 001 200 x — 3 9 3

Paige Adare and Alicia Odom; Veronica Castillo and Whitney Galindo. W — Castillo. L — Adare (6-6).

Second game

Carlsbad 6, Clovis 0

Clovis 000 00 — 0 0 2

Carlsbad 041 10 — 6 6 0

Game called, lightning, with two out in the bottom of the fifth.

Annie Tweedy, Adare (2) and Odom; Carolyn Garcia and Galindo. W — Garcia. L — Tweedy (3-1). 2B — Carlsbad: Katie Jo Castaneda. Records — Clovis 9-7 (0-2), Carlsbad 8-6 (2-0). JV score — Carlsbad 8, Clovis 2.