LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Softball Teams Make Early Exit from NCS


Alex Grant-Hudd

As the school year comes to a close, so do the playoff aspirations of spring sports. The Acalanes and Miramonte softball teams entered the North Coast Section playoff tournament with different goals but both were eliminated in the first round.

As a No. 13 seed the Acalanes Dons suffered an 11-4 loss to No. 4 San Marin in the first round on May 21.

"I thought because we had a young team we were a little nervous in the playoffs, the whole team was nervous, and it affected us, we didn't play very well," said head coach Victor Silva. "Hopefully the girls will learn from experience."

Despite the low seed, Silva was hoping for a fight in the first round. The team got off to a rocky start. After the first two innings, San Marin was up 7-2.

"The first couple of innings we were really nervous," said Silva. "As the game wore on we seemed to play better but I think the kids just have to get experience playing and we will get better."

For the next five innings, the Dons adjusted; they scored two more runs. Still, they gave up four runs to San Marin.

"I was hoping we could be a little bit more consistent," said Silva of the game and the season. "We had some good victories but we had some really bad losses, and I'd like to be more consistent in the future."

Miramonte was excited to qualify for the postseason. As a team filled with new players, they were very happy to make it into the tournament as a No. 12 seed. Finishing the season at 11-11 overall, the Mats exceeded expectations.

"Our season went great, better than anyone expected," said head coach Emily Hunt. "The girls improved tremendously from start to finish and we were able to win some big games that we maybe weren't expected to."

The Mats took on No. 5 Terra Linda on May 21. They kept it close but fell 3-2.

"[We were happy] just to make it, let alone compete in the game," said Hunt. "The school hasn't made NCS or had a .500 record in over 10 years so the fact that we achieved both of those things this year is a great accomplishment."