Calvary pounces on Mesa

COSTA MESA — Calvary Chapel High sophomore pitcher Amanda Gonzales was cruising through the Costa Mesa lineup before injuring her left shoulder Friday at Costa Mesa High.

“She did it when she was batting,” Eagles Coach Mark Wilbur said. “She took a swing and felt it pop. It was popping ever since, so we’re not sure what it is.”

The Mustangs probably just wished the ball would pop off their bats more, but it didn’t in their 9-1 Orange Coast League loss.

In their last game on April 4, the Mustangs outlasted Estancia, 13-12, in nine innings. But Friday, Costa Mesa was held to four hits, all of them singles.

It helped Calvary Chapel create a logjam atop the league standings. With four games remaining, each of the three teams is now 2-1 in league. That includes a forfeit win over Laguna Beach, which isn’t fielding a program this year.

“We’ve been hitting the ball really well, but we didn’t have timely hitting today,” Mustangs Coach Marcus Franco said. “A couple of mental mistakes hurt us. But I just told the girls, ‘After round one, everybody’s won one and lost one.’ This comes down to round two and round three. It’s who’s going to make plays?”

Calvary (8-7) made most of them Friday, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Each of the first three hitters — Stephanie Coyne, Sarah Maness and Breanna Ginnis — reached base and scored.

Costa Mesa (7-8) tried to respond in the bottom of the second. Senior catcher Brieanna Ramirez reached on a two-base error, when her well-hit ball fell between the Eagles center fielder and right fielder in a miscommunication. The next batter, freshman second baseman Sami Feinstein, followed with an RBI single up the middle to bring the Mustangs closer.

Mesa stayed in the game by flashing its leather. Feinstein made two standout defensive players in the top of the third, ranging to her left to snare both a line-drive and a difficult pop-up. Her infield counterpart, freshman shortstop Alex Kronhfeldt, also leaped to snow-cone a ball in the top of the fourth, likely saving two runs as the bases were loaded.

But the wheels came off in the sixth, when Calvary scored four. Maness delivered the big blow, a two-run triple to center.

Senior pitcher Emily Pulaski, who recently signed with Waldorf College in Iowa, was two for three for Costa Mesa. The Mustangs’ other hit was by senior left fielder Karla Lopez.

Gonzales struck out six for the Eagles, and reliever Alli Rickerts struck out three in three innings of scoreless relief.

Rickerts is one of just two seniors on Calvary Chapel, along with Ashley Rambo, and there are no juniors on the roster.

“I wasn’t sure how it was going to go, but [the underclassmen] have all been playing softball for a long time and they know what they’re doing,” Rickerts said. “There are definitely a lot of freshmen who are leaders on our team.”

The same is true for Mesa, which has four freshmen starters.

Orange Coast League

Calvary Chapel 9, Costa Mesa 1

SCORE BY INNINGS

Gonzales, Rickerts (5) and Ginnis, Rambo (5); Pulaski and Ramirez. W – Gonzales, 3-2. L – Pulaski, 2-1. 2B – Gonzales (CC). 3B – Maness (CC).

MATT SZABO may be reached at (714) 966-4614 or by e-mail at matthew.szabo@latimes.com.