Eagles one and done

Basketball star Allen Iverson once belittled a reporter who asked him about practice.

But Estancia High softball players, speaking after Tuesday’s 10-0 five-inning loss to Moreno Valley in the wild-card round of the CIF Southern Section Division 5 playoffs, said it was practice that might have done the team in.

The Eagles had experience this year, with six seniors on the roster, four of them who started the playoff game at Estancia High. But perhaps there ultimately seemed to be something missing, even after a fast start to league that saw Estancia tied for first with a 4-0 record.

Estancia (10-13) lost four of its last six Orange Coast League games to finish in third place, before bowing out to Moreno Valley in a game shortened by the mercy rule.

“I think it’s that other teams worked a little harder during the season, and we just relied on our wins,” said sophomore co-captain Emily Kubisty, who had a double Tuesday for one of three Estancia hits. “We were a little overconfident, maybe, and we didn’t work hard enough in practice. But we had the talent.”

Senior center fielder Maya Van Den Heever agreed.

“At the beginning, we were doing very well, batting well, but then I guess we just started going down,” Van Den Heever said. “I think we weren’t practicing hard enough during practice. We should have done better, practiced harder. It would show in the game.”

The postseason ended suddenly for Van Den Heever and her twin sister Nefertiti, who had sparkling basketball and softball careers at Estancia and plan to continue playing hoops at Orange Coast College. Moreno Valley (12-14-1), the third-place team from the Mountain Valley League, struck quickly.

Through two innings, the visiting Vikings had a 7-0 advantage. Errors behind her hurt Estancia sophomore pitcher Brittany Walker, who went the whole way in the circle.

Kassandra Flores reached on an infield throwing error leading off the game for Moreno Valley. She stole second base, then went to third as there was no one covering. After Elizabeth Muth walked, Karolina Flores lined a 2-2 pitch to left to score Kassandra.

The Eagles made some nice defensive plays to lessen the damage. Walker picked up Lashanti Caroll’s bunt and threw home, where Muth was tagged out by catcher Kalena Shepherd. Then senior co-captain Felicia Rios made a nice play on a ball hit to shortstop, going to third for an out as another run scored. But Mikaela Boyce reached on the third error of the inning and Samantha Ludwig walked, loading the bases.

Deanna Preston then singled to center to score the third run of the inning, but Boyce was out at home on a strong relay from Maya Van Den Heever to Rios to Shepherd.

But Moreno Valley scored four more runs in the second. Estancia, meanwhile, was held to one hit through four innings but had its chances.

With Coach Carrie Lester’s Eagles down, 8-0, Shepherd walked to open the fourth. Maya Van Den Heever then reached on a fielder’s choice and Grecia Henriquez walked to load the bases with nobody out. Moreno Valley Coach Joseph Flores pulled freshman starting pitcher Aliya Hernandez and put in Boyce, who had been playing first base.

The move paid off. Boyce got a swinging strikeout before Nefertiti Van Den Heever hit a bullet back up the middle. Boyce, however, was able to grab the line drive and double the runner off third for the final out.

“This game just didn’t go our way,” Kubisty said. “It was a close game, and everything that was close went to them instead of us.”

Moreno Valley scored two more in the top of the fifth before Estancia again threatened in the bottom of the frame. Isabelle Morales hit a one-out single before Kubisty doubled to the wall in right field. Morales was out at home, however. She leaped to try to avoid the tag of Kassandra Flores, but the home-plate umpire ruled she had been tagged on the leg.

Boyce then got a strikeout to end the game.

For the Eagles, it was the end of an up-and-down season. A highlight was beating Calvary Chapel and Costa Mesa in the first half of league play. The former win snapped Calvary’s 67-game league winning streak.

But Estancia lost to both teams in the second half of league play. Tuesday’s loss to Moreno Valley also stopped Estancia’s quest for its third straight wild-card win. Instead, the Eagles failed to make the first round of playoffs for the first time since 2013.

“Starting off the season I didn’t really feel that confident, but toward the middle going into league I felt a lot better,” Rios said. “Getting the win over Calvary was a big confidence-booster ... [this is] a bittersweet last game of high school.”

Moreno Valley will play at Victorville Silverado in the first round of the Division 5 playoffs on Thursday.

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CIF Southern Section Division 5 Playoffs

Wild-card game

Moreno Valley 10, Estancia 0 (5 innings)

SCORE BY INNINGS

Moreno Valley 340 12 — 10 9 1

Estancia 000 00 — 0 3 4

Hernandez, Boyce (4) and Kas. Flores; Walker and Shepherd. W – Hernandez. L – Walker. 2B – Alvarado (MV), Kubisty (E).