Coast Union baseball, softball stay unbeaten in league play

The Coast Union baseball team had already beaten traditional foe Valley Christian Academy once – but to lock down the Coast Valley League title, the Broncos needed to defeat VCA again April 24 on Coast’s home field.

Thanks to another sterling mound performance by senior Chase Volz; two sensational catches of difficult behind-the-plate pop-ups by freshman catcher Zach Stephenson; and shaky infield play by VCA, Coast nipped the Lions, 3-2.

Coming into this week, the Broncos are 4-0 in the CVL, and VCA is 2-2. Coast played Shandon (0-2) Tuesday (too late for this edition of the Cambrian) and plays Maricopa (0-2) on Thursday, May 3, a 3:30 p.m. game that will be broadcast on KTEA-FM (103.5), and streams on www.1035ktea.com.

VCA hurler Andrew Sparlin, one of the most talented players in the league, surrendered just one hit to Coast Union (Zach Stephenson’s single in the sixth), but he walked five Broncos and his team committed four errors, leading to the Lions’ demise.

Volz scattered five hits, walked two and struck out five. Coast got two unearned runs in the third inning and got what turned out to be the winning run in the sixth inning.

CIF Division 6 baseball playoffs will begin the week of May 7-11, and having secured the CVL title, the Broncos are assured at least one home playoff game. The Broncos have dominated the Coast Valley League and they have a 46-0 record in the CVL since 2013.

SOFTBALL

After defeating Valley Christian Academy (VCA) 19-9 on Friday, April 27, at home – extending their Coast Valley League winning streak to five games – the Coast Union Lady Broncos hosted Caruthers High School for a softball game Saturday, April 28.

That 11-2 loss to Caruthers snapped Coast’s five-game winning streak, but the nonleague loss did nothing to shake the Lady Broncos’ stranglehold on first place in the Coast Valley League. Coming into this week they are 5-0, and the second place team, Coastal Christian, is 1-1.

In a phone interview Monday April 30, coach Steve Kniffen said his team gained more from the defeat at the hands of Caruthers than it did in beating VCA.

“It was a much better game against Caruthers. Just playing competition that was competitive but not so much over our heads that we were lost,” Kniffen explained.

Against Caruthers, “Things occurred in the game that were competitive, and we made mistakes, but it was things we had talked about but that we finally got to see” in game conditions.

Every year, the baseball and softball teams dominate the Coast Valley League. And because there are so many walks and errors in the CVL softball games, learning does not necessarily take place, the coach added.

As to what the team needs improvement on, Kniffen said, “We need to make the routine plays. We drop balls when we shouldn’t drop balls – like throwing it around the bases.

“We catch a girl off third base. We throw it over and we drop the ball and miss the tag.” Another area of improvement Kniffen focuses on is in hitting. “We can hit the ball well, but we can’t be popping up the first pitch.”

He has urged his team to take the first pitch, and, “Some of them are learning, and it’s coming with time.”

The next home tilt for the softball team is Thursday, May 3, a 3:30 p.m. game against Maricopa.

TENNIS

After nine straight losses, Coast Union’s boys tennis team came within a whisker of winning their first match of the season against the Mission Prep Royals on April 26.

While the final score (9-9) looks like a tie, the Broncos won 66 games and the Royals won 67. Hence, Coast’s bid to snap its losing streak was thwarted.

The Broncos played tough on their home court against the Royals. Trent Ferguson won a set (6-1); Giovanni Espinoza won two sets (7-6, 6-0); and Dillyn Barbosa won a single set (6-4).

Paul Butterfield and Eric Hollingsead won all three of their doubles sets (6-2, 6-0, 6-0).

The Broncos closed out their season Tuesday, May 1 at Laguna Blanca.

This story was originally published May 1, 2018 at 8:25 AM with the headline "Coast Union baseball, softball stay unbeaten in league play."