Eagles triumph in eight

COSTA MESA — Just in case if Monday’s softball game would go extra innings, Estancia High Coach Alan Caouette gave his ace some advice.

This came after Caouette told Josie Flores he knew a little bit about coaching.

Flores had just pitched herself out of a bases-loaded jam against cross-town rival Costa Mesa in the sixth. After jogging back to the dugout with the score tied, Caouette, through the chain-link fence, talked to Flores.

“Drink some water, because you need to stay hydrated,” Caouette ordered Flores, who proceeded to grab her water bottle and start drinking.

Good move on Flores’ part as the Eagles required her to pitch in extra innings in the Orange Coast League home game.

One more inning than the senior planned because the Eagles led by three going into the top of the seventh, but Nicole Amaya made sure the eighth would be Flores’ last.

With the bases loaded, one out and a full count, Amaya drove in the game-winning run, a high-chopper toward the pitcher that seemed to go as high as the palm trees in the background, allowing Estancia to win, 5-4, and remain undefeated in league.

As Amaya sprinted up the first-base line, the Eagles (15-6, 5-0 in league) stormed the field when Kiele Brown made it home safely with no throw home.

Costa Mesa starter Kira Mitani never stood a chance of making a play.

Everything defensively was played right before the hit. The infield was in, just like the last time the Mustangs got the force out at the plate when first baseman Lizzie Milne fielded a grounder and fired the ball to catcher Emily Pulaski.

But for Costa Mesa (10-7, 2-3) getting that second out proved practically impossible.

“No matter what, it wasn’t going to be an out,” said Mitani, who allowed five runs, 10 hits and struck out six. “It was just too high. It was in the air long enough.”

Long enough for the Eagles to celebrate, and Mitani (7-7), with the ball in her right-hand, watched stunned.

Amaya looked on, too, before she realized, “We just won the game!”

The Eagles are on track to win their first league crown in Caouette’s three years as head coach.

“I’ve been here six [years], and I don’t remember [the last time],” said Caouette, a former three-year assistant, referring of the year Estancia last won a league title. “I’ve been trying to find [the information]. Nobody knows.”

What Caouette is sure of is the Eagles need to win at least two of their last four league contests to clinch a share of the league championship.

Forget about sharing the title with second-place Calvary Chapel. Estancia wants it all for itself, a concept foreign to Caouette’s former Eagles teams.

“I think they just believe now,” Caouette said. “For years, everybody, thought, ‘Oh, it’s just Estancia. We’re going to beat them. We’re going to walk over them.’ The mentality [was that] they didn’t think they were good enough to win.

“They finally got the mentality going the right way, where they believe they can win. They get down, they come back, they don’t quit.”

Flores (12-4), who struck out six and gave up nine hits, displayed that kind of resiliency against the Mustangs.

Caouette jokes that Flores is his only pitcher, but against Estancia’s nemesis, he said nothing would force her out of the game.

“She started it,” Caouette said. “She’s going to finish it.”

Flores appeared she was on her way to closing out the game and improving to 5-0 in league. Costa Mesa, trailing, 4-1 in the seventh, kept fighting.

A leadoff single, a sacrifice bunt, a throwing error leading to a run, a groundout, a walk, a double steal resulting in a run, and the Mustangs found themselves down by one run with two outs.

Costa Mesa catcher Emily Pulaski bailed her pitcher out, ripping a double down the left-field line to tie the game, 4-4, and force extra innings.

“It was probably the best game we’ve played all season,” said Costa Mesa Coach Sharon Uhl, whose team was trying to beat another league team not named Laguna Beach. “[The Eagles] have been beating their opponents in the Orange Coast League by a lot. This is the best game I think that they’ve had, too.”

Caouette blames the game being so close because it was played on Monday, a day that hasn’t been too good to the Eagles.

But this Monday, Caouette said the Eagles prevented Costa Mesa from beating them for the first time in three years.

How did they do it? Credit can go to Caouette advising Flores during the game.

“Sometimes she gets excited, and she forgets to drink during the game,” Caouette said. “She has a little heart of a tiger. She never quits, even when she’s out of gas.”

At the end of her first matchup against Costa Mesa, Flores was still going, not looking fatigued.

“I have too much adrenaline,” said Flores, who will face Costa Mesa again on Wednesday. “I can’t wait for a rematch.”

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at [email protected]

Orange Coast League

Estancia 5, Costa Mesa 4

Score by Innings

Mitani and Pulaski; Flores and Hartwell. W -- Flores, 12-4. L -- Mitani, 7-7. 2B -- Pulaski (CM), Ramirez (CM), West (E) 2, Whitney (E).