Costa Mesa softball routs rival Estancia in Battle for the Bell

Isabella Gonzalez earned the recognition of Most Valuable Player in the Orange Coast League during her freshman season for the Costa Mesa softball team.

The sophomore shortstop showed why against the Mustangs’ crosstown rival, leading the way in a 19-3 win for the hosts against Estancia on Tuesday.

Gonzalez grabbed a well-struck ground ball and stepped on the second-base bag before throwing to first for a double play to end the opening frame. It sent Jaydin McClure, the batter and the Eagles’ starting pitcher, into the field a little earlier than planned.

Leading off for Costa Mesa (6-3, 2-0), Gonzalez drew a walk and scored before the next at-bat could be completed, stealing second base and coming around to score on a pair of throwing errors. It was the beginning of an eight-run bottom of the first, in which she also supplied a run-scoring single.

“She was MVP of the league, and she was all-CIF as a freshman,” Costa Mesa coach Doug Deats said of Gonzalez. “She’s a really good ball player, and she’s going to keep being a really good ball player. With her playing, she really solidifies that part.”

Jaidyn Soldin, the Mustangs’ starter, helped herself out by driving in a run with a double down the third-base line. The senior right-hander, who said she has committed to Southwestern College in Kansas, allowed three runs on seven hits while striking out three.

A vocal presence in a team huddle before the game, Soldin issued just one walk that was immediately erased when Gonzalez turned the double play. Victoria Rios also made a running catch in the left-center field gap in the fifth.

“I’ve been starting since freshman year, and I want to be here for these girls,” Soldin said. “I want to help them out, and so I kind of just took on that leadership role to really mentor these girls to be the best they can be.”

Gonzalez reached base four times with three hits and four runs batted in. Analeah Vaca also drove in four runs, and Harper Alexander brought in two more runs.

Early success with the Mustangs has seen Gonzalez become more of a leader, too.

“I definitely felt like I could speak up more,” Gonzalez said. “I was definitely more confident in my ability. I feel like my title just allowed me to help more girls and for them to take my help more seriously.”

Estancia (4-11, 1-1) saw Devoni Bustos, Shyane Leslie, McClure and Peyton Thomas string together four consecutive singles with two outs in the third inning. Thomas’ liner inside the bag at third brought in two runs.

The Eagles won their league opener five days prior in an extra-inning thriller against visiting Santa Ana.

“The goal is to do well in the playoffs, and so we’re taking one game at a time to get there,” first-year Estancia coach Bruce Sanborn said. “We ran into a very good team today that played very well.”