Sweetwater High School’s softball team finished last spring with a 2-17 overall record, 1-7 in Metro-South Bay League play.
Understandably, the Lady Red Devils did not qualify for the San Diego Section playoffs.
Compare that to this spring’s meteoric 9-3 start and Sweetwater has to be considered among the section’s more potent Division IV teams.
Head coach Mike Morales was hoping for the best with the turn to the new season. So far, he and his team have been positively rewarded.
The Lady Devils defeated visiting Monte Vista, 20-5, in a shortened run-rule game on Tuesday to showcase the turnaround in fortune.
“The whole experience has been a positive one for everyone,” Morales said. “This is a surprising start. We haven’t been 9-3 in a while. After graduating what we did, I didn’t know how strong we would be coming back. We have six seniors out of 15 on our roster and only two seniors started in Tuesday’s game, for instance.
“The girls have bounced back and have started to play the way they know they can.”
Junior Tatyana Mosqueda scattered six hits and gave up three runs over five innings to pick up the win in Tuesday’s non-league contest. She struck out four batters and walked two in improving her record to 3-0 on the season with a 1.65 earned-run average and 28 strikeouts in 17 innings.
Mosqueda also rapped out three hits in five plate appearances with four RBI and three runs scored. On the season, she is batting 0.562 with eight RBI.
The Lady Devils scored twice in the first inning, six times in the second inning and broke the game wide open with 11 runs in the third inning.
Besides Mosqueda, top hitters in the game included senior Michelle Murillo with three hits, including a double, and four RBI, freshman Rianna Dela Paz with four hits and three RBI, and junior Destiny Martinez and sophomore Melanie Lopez each with two RBI.
Sweetwater rapped out a total of 18 hits in the game and received RBI from all nine players in the lineup. Senior Jazmine Gurrola, sophomore Ariana Tovar, senior Avelynah Padilla and junior Alexa Abarca each drove in one run. Padilla stroked two doubles.
Senior Julianna Lemen cleared the fence with a two-run home run in the top of the fifth inning for Monte Vista’s hitting highlight of the game.
Padilla topped the team with a 0.750 hitting average to go with seven RBI through seven reported games while senior Sophia Borruel was hitting 0.667 with nine RBI. Dela Paz was also hitting 0.667 with seven RBI.
Senior Krishna Inzunza was hitting 0.500 with eight RBI in 15 plate appearances while Murillo was hitting 0.437 with nine RBI in 20 plate appearances.
Sweetwater hosts Hilltop on April 8 and travels to San Ysidro on April 12 to conclude non-league play. The Lady Devils face off Metro-Pacific League play at Southwest on April 10 and host Castle Park on April 17 in another league match-up.
So far, Sweetwater has posted the top record among the Metro-Pacific League teams in non-league play. Montgomery is 5-3 while Chula Vista is 7-5, Castle Park is 6-7 and Southwest is 1-5.
San Diego Section Baseball Rankings
(MaxPreps through March 18)
1. University City (7-1)
2. Granite Hills (6-1)
3. St. Augustine (6-1)
4. San Marcos (5-1)
5. Torrey Pines (6-1)
6. Cathedral Catholic (6-2)
7. Mater Dei Catholic (6-2)
8. Sage Creek (5-2)
9. Patrick Henry (6-2)
10. Marathana Christian (6-1)
11. Mission Bay (8-3)
12. Eastlake (5-3)
13. Bonita Vista (4-2)
14. El Capitan (6-2)
15. Coronado (6-3)
16. Mission Hills (3-2)
17. San Ysidro (5-3)
18. Santa Fe Christian (5-2)
19. Calvin Christian (5-2)
20. Christian (5-3)
21. La Jolla Country Day (4-3)
22. Brawley (6-2-2)
23. Southwest El Centro (9-3)
24. Morse (6-2)
25. Steele Canyon (4-4)
26. Monte Vista (6-3)
27. El Camino (4-3)
28. Clairemont (4-2-1)
29. Pt. Loma (4-3-1)
30. Valhalla (5-3)
31. Madison (4-4)
32. Sweetwater (4-4)
33. Helix (4-4)
34. Mt. Miguel (5-3)
35. Imperial (8-5)
Others: 36. Montgomery (4-3), 41. Chula Vista (7-4), 45. High Tech High Chula Vista (3-3-1)
San Diego Section Softball Rankings
(MaxPreps through March 18)
1. Del Norte (8-0)
2. Mater Dei Catholic (8-1)
3. Torrey Pines (7-1-2)
4. Christian (7-0-1)
5. Eastlake (6-1)
6. Poway (6-2-1)
7. Cathedral Catholic (6-2)
8. Morse (12-1)
9. Francis Parker (5-0)
10. Rancho Bernardo (6-2-1)
11. Imperial (9-2-1)
12. Mission Hills (5-1-2)
13. La Costa Canyon (8-3)
14. Pt. Loma (5-2)
15. Santana (6-3)
16. San Marcos (7-4)
17. Clairemont (5-2-1)
18. Carlsbad (5-5)
19. El Capitan (3-4-4)
20. Rancho Buena Vista (6-3)
21. Bonita Vista (4-5-1)
22. Granite Hills (4-3)
23. Sage Creek (5-3)
24. Sweetwater (8-3)
25. Westview (5-3)
26. Oceanside (6-2-1)
27. Mt. Carmel (6-4)
28. Patrick Henry (5-4)
29. Liberty Charter (8-2)
30. Steele Canyon (5-3-1)
31. Chula Vista (6-5)
32. Calexico (5-5-1)
33. Our Lady of Peace (3-3-1)
34. Classical Academy (4-1)
35. Scripps Ranch (5-3)
Others: 39. Mar Vista (3-4), 44. Olympian (4-7), 47. San Ysidro (7-4), 48. Montgomery (5-3)
