Quick Start Not Enough for Mustangs

The Mira Costa High softball team had runners on base. It was converting those scoring opportunities into runs that proved to be difficult on Friday in a 5-2 loss to visiting Bay League rival Redondo Union.

After a scoreless first by Mustangs' pitcher Amanda Padilla, Stefani Lajeunesse doubled to lead off the bottom of the inning. Katie Saunders followed with a single, but Lajeunesse was thrown out trying to score on a ground ball hit by Chloe Krasnoff.

Rachel Lee then walked to load the bases for the Mustangs, and Mira Costa took a 1-0 lead when Redondo made an illegal pitch to Sabrina Stewart, advancing the runners and pushing Saunders across the plate. Stewart then walked to again load the bases, but Amanda Gard hit into a double play to end the inning.

"We were pumped early, scoring first we might have relaxed our focus a little," Lajeunesse said. "We have to be patient, Redondo has a good pitcher and her change-ups really got our timing off tonight."

Padilla would retire the side in order during the second inning, and received a little more help when Taylor Glover led off the inning with a single and came around to score on a single by Saunders that gave the Mustangs a 2-0 lead.

"We left a lot of runners on base early, we are a hitting team and we got hits, but they didn't result in enough runs," Coach Dick Amberik said. 

In the third, Padilla would walk the leadoff batter and surrender back-to-back doubles and, in turn, the lead as Redondo pulled even at 2. The Sea Hawks went ahead with two runs in the fifth inning and added a final run in the sixth.

"Padilla pitched a good game overall, only one ball left the park. She really hangs in there," Amberik said. "We really hope to get around six runs. That seems to be the number where we pick up our wins and she kept us in range where that would have done the trick."

Mira Costa has scored at least six runs in all of its victories except one—a season-opening victory Marymount. Against Redondo, there was more frustration.

In the sixth inning Glover, a speedy freshman, would collect her third hit of the night on an infield single, but the Mustangs failed to score.

And in the seventh, Lajeunesse was hit by a pitch and sophomore Katie Saunders would collect her third hit of the night with a sharply hit ball to left field. But, again, Mira Costa could not push a run across the plate.

"At the plate, I know I'm not a home-run hitter, but I just look to get the ball on the ground and use my speed," Glover said.  "Hits are contagious for us, when we get going it gets our energy level up and that is just so important to us, when we are at that high level we can beat good teams."