The Diablo Dispatch <![CDATA[The Diablo Dispatch]]> en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:10:22 GMT 15 <![CDATA[Closing in on a League Title]]> By Ryan Drescher


Cassidy playing 2nd base

Back in March, with the season just underway, the Mission Viejo softball team looked like it was one of the best teams in Orange County. By starting off the season with two convincing wins over Bloomington High School, including a 15-0 victory in the latter of the two games, Mission proved that it was going to be a formidable opponent. A month later, the Diablos still look to be just as good. Using a combination of strong hitting, good fielding and great pitching, Mission started off the season 5-1-1. Since that solid start, the team has continued to play well and is now 20-5-1, including 7-0 in South Coast League play. Now, though, things get tough. Only league games remain in the coming weeks, with a key match-up against Tesoro (4-2 in the league and 11-7-1 overall) ahead. League play should reveal a lot about what kind of team head coach Troy Ybarra has. If they are as good as the rankings show, they should fight hard and prevail. If they become too overconfident, they could lose games that no one expected them to. Ranked fourth in Division II of the CIF-SS coaches’ rankings, behind Kennedy, Lakewood, and Redlands, the Diablos have a good chance of remaining in the top ten of rankings. To do so, they will need to stay composed and play to the best of their ability. And in order to play as well as they are capable of, Mission will need No.1 pitcher MacKensey Carter and to come through when it counts. Carter is 6-1 this season, and in 51 innings has incredibly given up only four runs, only one of which was earned. Her ERA is .136, and when she pitches, the team wins (she has a .857 win percentage). With her on the mound, the Diablos have lost just one game. , a 0-1 loss to Thousand Oaks in which the offense couldn’t get going. With the exception of that game as well as the games against El Toro (a 0-0 tie) and Pacifica (a 2-6 loss in which Carter got a no decision), the offense has been impressive with Carter on the mound, averaging 5.7 runs in the nine games that she has pitched. The fate of the Diablos is not just up to Carter, though. The Diablos will need No.2 pitcher Michelle Tait, as well as the offensive ability of Tory Speer and Jillian Stanley. The team has just three games remaining, and a league championship is in sight. The team is getting closer and closer to winning league after defeating San Clemente and Dana Hills. With a four-game lead in league and just two games remaining, the Diablos have will officially become South Coast League champions on May 7. This team showed that it has what it takes to win South Coast League, and soon enough it will be time to make a deep run in CIF. CIF won’t be easy, but that’s comes with the territory. It’s time for the Diablos softball team to show the world what they are made of. ]]> Fri, 09 May 2008 15:34:00 GMT