LJ softball 5, Coronado 2

Center fielder Mazzi Tamaiko takes a healthy cut

against the Islanders. (Photo by Ed Piper)

Josie Sinkeldam gloved a hard, bounding grounder to short and threw the batter out to close out an inning. "We got ourselves a team," exclaimed Tracy Brown, La Jolla assistant coach.

And the Vikings do. La Jolla (12-8) is ranked fourth in CIF Division IV. Playoffs are a month away. Who would have thunk this, after the three wins of last season?

The remarkable turnaround of the Viking softball program owes a lot to the patience and willingness to hang in there of head coach Anthony Sarain, who lasted through many thin years of struggle by his daughter, Katja, La Jolla's pitcher, and his other players.

Now Katja, with fellow senior starter Stephanie Alvarez, her catcher, is leading the charge as the Vikings scale unknown heights, plowing through Coronado Wed., April 22, by a 5-2 margin.

Ava Verbrugghen, a sophomore, is an example of the "new" LJHS softball program. A left-handed thrower who plays part-time in right field, Ava is fairly new to the sport but is athletic and enjoys being part of the team.

There is a confidence that spreads like a contagion through the batting lineup when the likes of Linda Brown, an experienced travel ball player already as a 10th-grader, Emily Alvarez, a freshman, Sinkeldam and others bring their hitting and fielding skills to the ballpark.

Even Katja Sarain seems to benefit from the new, improved ballplayers around her. She was an experienced player when she broke on the LJHS scene as a freshman three years ago. But when not many batters are hitting through the lineup, it's tougher to pull upstream and try to build some momentum. Rallies don't get sustained well.

Now, with a talented lineup, the Vikings take their at-bats expecting to score. Coronado found that out Wednesday.

Anthony Sarain, coaching third base, signaled Stephanie Alvarez to make the turn at second and head to third on a line drive to right-center. But Alvarez got thrown out by a bit on a good relay throw. Sarain said, "I had a good hitter (Linda Brown) coming up. I should have played it more conservative."

But this kind of aggressiveness is what characterizes the Vikings now. They're having fun, and eating lots of chocolate chip cookies in the dugout Wednesday. Stephanie Alvarez was yelling at her teammate, Vanessa Shaffer, who plays left field, "Cookie Monster!" Shaffer wolfed down seven or so chocolate chip cookies between stints in the field.


Copyright 2015 Ed Piper