By Ryan Erickson
Staff Writer
After the Mira Costa softball team’s season ended last May in the second round of CIF, coach Richard Amberik attributed the girls’ loss to late-inning runs allowed.
At the Division II Katella Tournament in Orange County on March 26, the team showed that it had improved on its faults from last year, allowing just three runs total in the two games it played.
Costa won both games, beating Wilson 7-1 in its first game and taking down Orange Lutheran 13-2 in the second.
The girls now sit at a record of 8-1-1 for the overall season, with the win against Orange Lutheran extending their win streak to seven games. Looking to continue its recent success, Costa will continue in the tournament with another double header in the Division II Katella Tournament tomorrow.
“The girls are playing at such a high level right now that we just need to let them get out there and play ball,” Amberik said.
Amberik attributes Costa’s current success to its balanced approach to the game.
“Every time we go out there to play, we get a quality start from our pitchers, [and along with that] we have so many experienced hitters,” Amberik said.
Wilson witnessed Costa expand on both of these aspects of its game when it took on the Mustangs in the first game of the tournament. Junior pitcher Breanna Kelly gave up only one run in six innings, keeping her record at 6-0.
The hitters also had success, with junior third baseman Stefanni LaJeunesse hitting a home run.
“We’re gaining a lot of momentum and confidence from how well we have been playing,” Kelly said. “This is definitely an important thing for us to be hitting our stride now that we are only four games away from Bay League play.”
In the second game, the Mustangs hammered out 13 runs and 18 hits against the Orange Lutheran pitching staff. By the fifth inning the score was 10-2 in the Mustangs’ favor, and the girls brought in three more runs in the last innings, ending the game’s score at 13-2.
Freshman pitcher Shannon Savino extended her record to 2-0 with a successful game against Orange Lutheran, and sophomore center fielder Taylor Glover had two singles, a double, a triple, three runs scored, three RBI and three stolen bases in the second game alone.
“I thought we played very well as a team,” Glover said. “Our defense was sound, and we supported our pitchers by scoring a lot of runs.”
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