Fatigued Eagles falter, 9-0
Chris Yemma
After battling through nine innings against Saddleback Valley
Christian High, the Estancia softball team walked about 20 steps to
the adjacent field, with no down time, and played six more innings.
It could be safe to say that fatigue might have been a factor in
the Eagles’ 9-0 mercy-rule loss to La Quinta in the seventh-place
game of the Costa Mesa tournament Saturday at TeWinkle Park.
The Eagles (3-3), who defeated La Quinta, 14-0, in the same
tournament last week, did not resemble the team that took Saddleback
Valley Christian to nine innings in the first game.
“This game (against La Quinta) right here was no indication of our
overall performance in the tournament,” Estancia Coach Alan Caouette
said. “I think we played really well [in the tournament]. We played a
couple tough games, learned a lot about our girls and I think we’ve
got a pretty talented team.”
In the 7-3 loss Saddleback Valley, starting pitcher Muriel Mason,
an all-tournament selection, was on pace for a shutout through six
inning, during which she scattered eight hits.
But the Warriors pieced together a five-run ninth inning for the
eventual win.
Senior Taylor West, also named to the all-tournament team, was 2
for 3 against the Warriors with one triple.
Against La Quinta, Estancia gave up four runs in the third inning
and four in the sixth before the game was called.
Janet Magana went 1 for 3, while Lina You was 1 for 2 and Allison
Wyman was 1 for 1 for the Eagles.
But Estancia was affected by something out of its control.
“Both my starting pitchers had strep throat, so they were sick all
week,” Caouette said. “And they were probably running around 60%, so
I think they got tired. Defensively, we were fine. It was mainly the
pitching.”
La Quinta sophomore pitcher Anny Ho, however, was not feeling
under the weather. She pitched six innings, allowing just three hits
to get the win.
The Aztecs only had a one-run lead after the first inning and
Estancia held them scoreless in the second. But La Quinta compiled
four hits in the fourth to take a comfortable 5-0 lead.
The Aztecs’ Keisha Mattinson and Sheila Nghe were both 2 for 4
with two RBIs.
Costa Mesa tournament
Seventh-place game
La Quinta 9,
Estancia 0
Score by Innings
*--*
Estancia 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 3 3
La Quinta 1 0 4 0 0 4 - 9 13 0
*--*
Flores and Ockey; Ho and Porras. W -- Ho. L -- Flores. 2B -- Pena
(LQ).
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