Playing for first-year head coach Brittany Gardner, Mira Costa’s softball team has flown under the radar for most of the season, but the Mustangs have quietly taken control of the Bay League race.
Mira Costa has an impressive 20-7 overall record and is undefeated in league play with a 8-0 record.
The Mustangs all but clinched the Bay League title Wednesday with a 6-1 victory at Palos Verrdes (8-15, 4-3).
Mira Costa plays at Morningside on Tuesday then hosts Redondo in a 7:15 p.m. game at Marine West field on Wednesday to conclude the regular season.
Four-time defending champion Redondo (9-12, 4-2) slaughtered Inglewood 22-0 Wednesday and, coupled with Palos Verde’s loss, took sole possession of second place
“We are very excited at the possibility of clinching the Bay League title,” Gardner said. “Prior to the season we held a goals meeting and our number one goal was to win the title.”
Mira Costa rebounded from a 4-2 loss to Burbank in the Consolation final of the Redondo Tournament on Saturday..
Mira Costa has put itself in the position to claim the title with a total team effort that includes a mixture of young players and seasoned veterans.
The Mustang roster includes four freshmen, two sophomores, four juniors and five seniors.
“Every single person on the team has been integral to our success so far this season,” Gardner said. “At this point in the year we are really hitting our stride and I hope we continue the momentum into the CIF playoffs, making a run for a division (CIF-SS Division 4) title.
“As I always tell the girls; it takes every single person to be successful whether you’re a starter or a role player; we need everyone to succeed. All of our girls have a team-first mentality which I believe is the key to why we are having so much success.”
Although Gardner’s team has enjoyed contributions from all its players, it has been the outstanding seasons produced by the Mustang senior class that has made the difference, including a team batting average of .410.
Katie Gould leads Mira Costa in batting average (.628), runs (38), hits (54) and stolen bases (17). The second baseman has also driven in 13 RBIs.
Jamie Hoffman is batting.455 and is tied for the team lead in RBIs (20) and homeruns (2). The catcher also has seven doubles.
First baseman Emily Eudy has a .385 batting average with 16 RBIs and five doubles and outfielder Alex Orozco is batting .312 with three triples.
Elliott Estes has been a dual threat for Mira Costa. At the plate, Estes is batting .446 with 20 RBIs, six doubles and a team-high five triples,
On the mound, the right-hander boasts a 10-2 record and 1.41 ERA. She has limited opponents to a .173 batting average.
Other key contributors have been junior shortstop Serena Ponciano and freshman second baseman/outfielder Ella Lee.
Ponciano is batting .464 with19 RBIs and leads the Mustangs in doubles with 11. After being called up from the junior varsity squad, Lee is batting .579 with seven RBIs, two home runs and two doubles in seven games.
Lee was 3 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs in Mira Costa’s 8-2 win at Redondo in the first of two league meetings between the rivals.
Redondo (9-12) also fell to Burbank last Saturday with a 4-3 loss in Consolation play. The Sea Hawks host Peninsula Friday in a 7 p.m. contest the concludes the regular season with road games at Palos Verdes on Monday and Mira Costa Wednesday evening.
Softball pairings will be announced Monday, May 15 at noon and available at cifss.org.
