Recent rains have played havoc with tournament schedules, but enough games have been played to provide a fairly good look at what to expect this spring.
The race to this year’s Mesa League softball banner looks to be very competitive with all four teams possessing 0.500 or better records to start the opening month of play.
Otay Ranch is 8-3 through 11 games with a 0.727 winning percentage, followed by Bonita Vista at 5-3-1, Mater Dei Catholic at 4-3 and Eastlake at 3-3-1.
Otay Ranch defeated the visiting Imperial Tigers, 10-9, on Tuesday in non-league play to run its current winning streak to three games after opening the season with a five-game winning streak.
Senior Isa Vinluan drove in three runs in Tuesday’s game while sophomore Kaylin Phillips collected two RBI. Juniors Emily Alvarado, Vivi Vargas and Isabel Cintron each drove in one run as the hosts rapped out 10 hits.
Sophomore Itzel Soto blasted a triple while Vargas, junior Anissa Zambrano and Phillips all doubled.
Soto leads the Lady Mustangs with a 0.500 hitting average while contributing 11 runs scored and 19 hits to go with three RBI. Phillips (15), junior Nat Lozano (12), Cintron (12) and Vinluan (10)are the team’s RBI leaders.
Bonita Vista improved to 5-3-1 following Monday’s 3-2 come-from-behind Falcon-Fiesta tournament win over the visiting Valhalla Norsemen.
The visitors went up 2-0 on two RBI by senior Naomi Villalva in the top of the second inning before junior Alexis Acosta tripled in all three BV runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Senior Isabel Becerra, junior Bryanna Baca and junior Viviana Flores each scored once in support of sophomore pitcher Danica Aboytes, who scattered five hits and struck out four batters in seven innings.
The Lady Barons prevailed despite generating just three hits in the game compared to six for the East County visitors.
Valhalla used two pitchers in the game: freshman Devyn Mack (4.1 innings, three hits three strikeouts) and senior Mckayla Fish (1.2 innnings, no hits, one strikeout).
Sophomore Natalie Gonzalez started the game for Bonita Vista. She is one of two sophomore starters in the pitching circle.
Aboytes tops the Lady Barons with a 0.400 hitting average while driving in three runs in eight games while junior Alexis Jimenez leads the team with eight RBI in nine games. Acosta and Jimenez have both hit one home run so far this season.
BVHS coach Alejandro Jordan said he is counting on five seniors for leadership: Becerra, Makayla Veglia, Alani Keeran and Sofia Barbabosa among them.
Bonita Vista’s 2023 softball schedule is front-loaded with a menagerie of tournament and non-league games. In fact, the Lady Barons will not play their first league game until April 25 when they meet Otay Ranch in a road matchup. Five more league games follow to close out regular season play.
Besides Bonita Vista and Otay Ranch, the Mesa League lineup also includes Eastlake and Mater Dei Catholic in a cozy collection of just four teams. Each team will play six league games before selection starts for the San Diego Section playoffs.
Jordan picks Otay Ranch, Mater Dei Catholic and his own team as the three front-running teams for this year’s league title.
Jordan has to feel optimistic after Valhalla edged Mater Dei Catholic, 3-2, in non-league play. Lady Norseman coach Troy Mack sees his team as a contender for this year’s Grossmont Valley League banner.
Junior Michaella Salvatierra paces Mater Dei Catholic with a 0.500 hitting average in 22 plate appearances while sophomore Analesse Garcia was hitting 0.400 in 15 plate appearances.
Lady Trojan lacrosse team looks to build on youthful experience
The 2023 spring season looks very promising for the Castle Park High School girls lacrosse team, according to head coach Chris Kryjewski.
“We have a young but experienced team that is returning,” the Lady Trojan coach said. “The addition of three newcomers is really helping with the athleticism we have on the field. The style of play we are playing is a college-level style. We are very fast and athletic team that has built so much trust in each other.
“We have a lot of underclassmen on our roster which we will be continuing to grow together. The 2022 season was a retooling year and now the team is coming together. Our season goals for this year is to bring home the league championship and get into the playoffs for the first time in program history in the newly-formed Division III playoffs.”
Top returners include sophomore goalkeeper Victoria Trujillo, junior Irene Bustillos, senior Diviana Enjambre, sophomore Lexa Garcia and junior Arleth Rios.
Trujillo earned second team All-South Bay League honors last season as the Metro Conference goalkeeper of the year.
Trujillo, Bustillos and Enjambre are team captains for the 2023 season.
Impact newcomers include freshman Lana Roche, sophomore Lali Ramirez and freshman Audrina Perez.
Ramirez had six goals in an 11-1 league opening win over Montgomery on March 13.
Roche has already started to make a name for herself on the pitch as a midfielder after joining the team from middle school. Ramirez, who was recruited from the school’s field hockey team, stands out with her speed and ability to quickly dodge defenders.
Perez, who is coming over from the school’s wrestling team, expects to help out on the offensive side of the ball as an attacker.
Baseball Standings
Mesa League
League/Overall
Eastlake 1-0, 9-1
Bonita Vista 1-0, 3-6
Montgomery 0-0, 8-0
Otay Ranch 0-1, 5-4
Olympian 0-1, 0-12
Monday, March 27
Bonita Vista 10, Otay Ranch 5
Eastlake 8, Olympian 2
South Bay League
League/Overall
Mar Vista 0-0, 5-5
Southwest 0-0, 4-5
Mater Dei Catholic 0-0, 5-7
Hilltop 0-0, 3-6
Metro-Pacific League
League/Overall
San Ysidro 0-0, 7-5
Sweetwater 0-0, 4-5
Chula Vista 0-0, 3-9
Castle Park 0-0, 0-4
Summit League
League/Overall
Ocean View 0-0, 3-0
Mountain Empire 0-0, 2-0
Liberty Charter 0-0, 1-1
High Tech CV 0-0, 3-3
Bayfront Charter 0-0, 2-2
CVLCC 0-0, 0-3
Saturday, March 25
HTH Chula Vista 6, HTH San Diego 1
Monday, March 27
Sweetwater 5, CVLCC 0
Tuesday, March 28
Victory Christian Academy 22, CVLCC 15
Softball Standings
Mesa League
League/Overall
Otay Ranch 0-0, 8-3
Bonita Vista 0-0, 5-3-1
Mater Dei Catholic 0-0, 4-3
Eastlake 0-0, 3-3-1
South Bay League
League/Overall
Mar Vista 0-0, 4-4
Olympian 0-0, 3-7
Hilltop 0-0, 3-11-1
San Ysidro 0-0, 1-4
Sweetwater 0-0, 1-7
Metro-Pacific League
League/Overall
Chula Vista 0-0, 8-1-1
Montgomery 0-0, 5-2
Castle Park 0-0, 7-4
Southwest 0-0, 1-7
Lancer grad Major receives player of the week award
Hilltop High School and Southwestern College alumnus Ryan Major was recognized as the Red River Athletic Conference baseball player of the week for LSU-Shreveport.
Major went 9-for-20 on the week with four doubles and two triples in a midweek matchup to SAGU and the series wins over Southwest. He went 3-for-5 in game one of the weekend series as he brought in two runs and had a stolen bag.
Major collected two runs for himself in the 13-2 win as well. He repeated the same style of play in the second game of the double header as he was 3-for-6 at the plate. Major connected for two doubles and a triple and performed in the clutch to help keep the Pilots in the game that would eventually go to extra innings. He had two RBI in the contest as he helped to lift the Pilots to an 8-6 victory.
Major finished out the weekend as he went 3-for-5 at the plate again with another double and a triple. He accounted for five of the team’s RBI and had one run of his own.
Major is currently second in the conference with a .462 batting average while also leading the entire NAIA with 33 stolen bases.
A 2018 Hilltop graduate, Major was a three-year letter-winner with the Lancers. He received the baseball team’s Most Valuable Player twice and 2018 Outstanding Athlete of the Year.
He batted 0.347 with nine RBI, 14 runs scord and five stolen bases in 20 games as a sophomore at Southwestern College.
