Mar Vista Softball Thumps Southwest, Vying for League Title

The Mar Vista varsity softball team defeated Southwest on the road last Friday. The Lady Mariners advance to an 8-10-0 overall record and are tied for first place in the South Bay League with a 7-1-0 record.

With the help of an explosive second inning, the Mariners nailed down an early victory when they jumped out to an 11-0 lead.

“Southwest is a growing program and the coach over there is trying hard to get a winning attitude at the school,” said Mariners head coach Rick Nichols. “Our program is very successful, winning five league championships the past six years. In Friday’s win, the girls were patient and waited for the pitch that they could hit.”

The Lady Mariners batted around in the 2nd and 4th inning. Southwest struck out six and walked six. But with tired pitching and a flawed defense, Mar Vista capitalized on many of their mistakes.

“We knew we could run on their catcher,” Nichols said. “Many of the times we moved up bases were with passed balls or wild pitches. We try to be aggressive, stealing, bunting, and moving runners any way we can.”

Senior infielder Cassandra Enslin went 3-for-4 with two doubles and 2 RBI. Freshman outfielder Kristin Gendreau went 2-for-2 with a RBI. She is hitting just over .700. The Mariners racked up a total of 14 hits.

Junior Mallory Rosas pitched 5 innings only giving up a single hit. It was the second time she pitched a one-hitter. She also has four shutouts and a no-hitter against Montgomery. 

“Her pitching has been quite a surprise, this being her first varsity year,” Nichols said. “She is not afraid to pitch against anyone.”

Even with a young team, the Lady Mariners are still looking strong.

“We have only four seniors so we are very young,” Nichols said. “But this is an outstanding team with great chemistry. My captains, Stephanie Beltran and Ariana Trammel, are very good leaders and took control of the team from the first practice. The girls all respect them and they all work well together.”

Nichols said senior third baseman Beltran has emerged as one of the best players in the South Bay League. She is a team captain, is hitting almost .600, has four home runs and is second in runs batted in. Junior first baseman Victoria Santa Lucia has also stepped up in her first year on varsity. She leads the South Bay with five home runs and 23 runs batted in.

Even though several of the players have outstanding batting averages, Nichols said they are still working on their bats.

“We are still struggling with our hitting,” he said. “I know the girls are working very hard in practice on their hitting and I am blessed with two outstanding coaches who are working with the girls. We just need to get the big hits when we need them.”

The team has its work cutout for it as Mar Vista aims to burn through the last few games of the season.

“We are 7-1 in league with our one loss coming at home to Olympian, after we had beaten them at their place,” Nichols said. “The league championship will come down to us beating a good Castle Park team twice and Olympian vs. Montgomery, who is playing very well right now, the last week of the season.”

But Nichols and the Lady Mariners are up for the challenge. They’re looking for their sixth league title in seven years.

Note: Mar Vista also defeated Southwest at home on April 27. The league game was called to an end after the 5th inning with the Mariners winning 19-0. In that game, junior first baseman Victoria Santa Lucia hit for the cycle. She was 4-for-4 with 5 RBI.