It’s been a long, slow couple of weeks for the top-ranked Mission Viejo softball team.
Since March 26, the Diablos have played a grand total of four games. They earned a pair of South Coast League victories, against No. 8 Dana Hills and El Toro, during that time period, but today’s game against Tesoro will be the first time the Diablos have played in close to 14 days.
“We just came back from spring break, so we had that time off, and I think we’re very excited to come back and get things going again,” said Mission Viejo pitcher Taylor McQuillin. “Earlier in the year, we had so many games in a short period of time. Now it’s kind of scattered out, so we work harder. We’re excited to come back and are ready to play like before.”
The Diablos (15-0) are ranked No. 1 in the state and nation by MaxPreps.com, and Coach Troy Ybarra says opponents are coming out with a different type of fire when they match up with Mission Viejo.
“There is (a target), and it’s nice to have one,” said Ybarra. “It prepares us. The kids do not have any time to let up at all. Again, we take it one inning at a time, one at-bat at a time, and there’s no let up.
“They understand what they need to do, and they understand where they need to be going into the playoffs.”
While the Diablos have the county’s longest current winning streak, Tesoro might be the hottest team around. The Titans are winners of nine in a row and – like Mission – boast a balanced attack.
Junior pitcher Kalee Smith is 8-2 in the circle with a 1.60 ERA, and freshman Kiana Cisneros leads a deep lineup. Cisneros is batting .458 and has slapped 10 doubles.
Seniors Lea Wodach (.383) and Amanda Vargas (.386) offer the kind of experience that could be helpful against McQuillin and the Diablos, making today’s South Coast league matchup an exciting midseason draw.
BREA OLINDA BREAKS OUT
Brea Olinda snapped its 30-game losing streak in the Century League when it topped El Dorado, 7-2, last week at home. Sophomore Taylor Williams went 4 for 4 at the plate with four RBI.
Before their win over the Golden Hawks, the Wildcats had not won a league game since May 3, 2011 when it beat Canyon.
Brea finished the week with a two-game winning streak in league by beating Foothill, 4-3, on Thursday. The Wildcats scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to win that game. They are in fourth place in the seven-team Century League, in the thick of battle for for a guaranteed playoff berth.
CENTURY BATTLES
No. 9 Canyon ist 4-1 in the Century League, behind only No. 2 Esperanza. The Comanches will be tested this week as they have back-to-back road games against El Modena and Esperanza.
The Comanches (13-5, 4-1) have won three of the past four games against their heated rivals from El Modena, including a 9-1 win in the third-place game of the Tournament of Champions in Mach.
Hailey Hilburn has been excellent in the circle over the past three games, surrendering a total of three runs. The Comanches are 3-0 over that stretch, and they are geting consistently strong production from Paulina Anasis (.477 average) and Brianna Betschel (.377 average).
El Modena (13-8, 3-2) looked good in a 4-3 loss to Esperanza on Thursday. The Vanguards consistently hit Aztecs pitcher Hayley Copeland and their lineup showed a lot of grit in fighting back from a 3-0 deficit.
Contact the writer: kconnolly@ocregister.com
