Coast bounces back to best Mission Prep JVs

After scoring just a single run in their first three games (two against Taft and one against Templeton), the Coast Union softball team traveled to Nipomo on Thursday, March 3, and came out on the short end of a 12-4 score.

But on Friday, March 4, in the drenching rain, the Lady Broncos topped the Mission Prep junior varsity softball team 5-2 in a weather-shortened six-inning game at Coast Union. In that game, pitcher Ellie Magnuson contributed a triple and a single and drove in two runs.

On the mound, Magnuson allowed one hit and walked three batters; she fanned seven Royals. Maddie May singled twice and drove in a run, while Ashley Martinez and Ani Corbet each had a run batted in. The team committed two errors.

The first four losses are emblematic of a situation Coast faces on an annual basis: The softball team is no stranger to tough games against big schools at the beginning of the season. Prior to opening the Coast Valley League schedule, where Coast Union traditionally does well, early season warmup games are generally against powerful foes.

Senior hurler Magnuson said “It’s no fun playing a team when you know you’re going to win. I love playing the game when it’s difficult. I love the challenge. That makes it fun for me.”

Looking at this year’s team, Magnuson said, “We’re pretty young, so it’s a little difficult getting started, but it always is. We’ll get better real fast.”

Regarding the rainy game Friday she said she was a “little surprised” the umpires didn’t call the game before the sixth inning, but “it was a blast.”

Looking back on the loss to Nipomo, there was a bright spot for Magnuson: She belted the first pitch she saw over the center-field fence. “I had a callus on the bottom of my foot, and I was actually in a lot of pain that day. But I was really relaxed at the plate, standing up straight and not expecting anything.

“I swung real easy and didn’t even feel the ball hit the bat. Those are the best ones.”

Did she know it was heading over the fence? “Oh, yeah; you always get that feeling, ‘Oh that was a good one, it felt good.’ ”

Magnuson is weighing her options for college. She has two softball scholarship offers but is leaning toward focusing on academics, and attending Oregon State University in Corvallis with a major in kinesiology.

“School’s really important to me,” she said, so she will likely attend OSU and try to get on the softball team as a walk-on. “I really love playing softball. But softball isn’t going to get me anywhere; my education is my number one priority. If I can play softball also, that’s a bonus.”

The Lady Broncos defeated Santa Maria 2-1 on Tuesday, March 8. May had two hits and drove in the winning run; Magnuson struck out nine and had a pair of singles at the plate. Ani Corbet singled, scored a run and had three putouts at shortstop.

Coast played flawless defense, and coach Rocky Fordyce said, “It was a good win today for us against a bigger school like that.”

The next home game for the softball team is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, March 12, against Washington Union High School, weather permitting.

This story was originally published March 9, 2016 at 11:51 AM with the headline "Coast bounces back to best Mission Prep JVs."