Lady Legionnaires make it to the playoffs

Joe Naiman

Village News Reporter

The CIF playoff selection and seeding meeting May 14 gave Bonsall High School’s softball team the eighth seed in the Division V playoffs and gave Borrego Springs the ninth seed, setting up a first-round game between the two teams May 17 at the Pala Sports Complex where Bonsall’s home games are played. Borrego Springs ended Bonsall’s season with an 18-13 victory over the Legionnaires.

“We fought a good fight. We made a lot of errors, but we tried our hardest to come back. We did fight back,” said Bonsall coach Emily Casillas.

A league champion is guaranteed a CIF playoff home game if the league has at least four teams. Bonsall won the Patriot League banner with a 6-0 league record in the circuit which also included Chula Vista Learning Community Center, King-Chavez Community, and Ocean View Christian. Borrego Springs was in the Manzanita League and when Warner did not field a softball team this year the league consisted only of Borrego Springs, Julian, and West Shores. Borrego Springs was 4-0 in Manzanita League play and took a 10-5 regular-season record into the playoffs. Bonsall entered the post-season with an 11-5 overall record.

The two teams’ regular-season records include a May 5 Bonsall forfeit win over Borrego Springs for a game which was supposed to be played at the Pala Sports Complex. The two teams opened their seasons March 8 in Borrego Springs with the Rams prevailing in that 21-3 contest which was called after four innings. The Legionnaires and Rams met again March 17 in Pala, and the Legionnaires were ahead by a 22-0 margin when the game was called after two innings.

Borrego Springs scored four times in the top of the first of the May 17 game. Bonsall scored three runs in the bottom of that frame, and two second-inning Legionnaires runs gave Bonsall a 5-4 lead. The Rams regained the lead with two runs in the top of the fourth. Borrego Springs scored six times in the top of the fifth, but five Bonsall tallies in the bottom of the sixth created a 12-10 score. Neither team scored in the sixth. Borrego Springs obtained six runs in the top of the seventh while Bonsall scored three times in the bottom of that inning.

Bonsall pitchers walked 17 Borrego Springs batters in the playoff game while the Rams reached base on a hit by pitch three times. Borrego Springs recorded 14 hits, including four by junior Jimena Ochoa and three by sophomore Mariana Torres. Ochoa’s double was the Rams’ only extra base hit of that game, and she drove in eight runs altogether.

The loss finalized Bonsall’s season record at 11-6, which was also Borrego Springs’ record after the first-round playoff win and before the Rams lost to top-seeded Foothills Christian in the May 18 playoff game.

The 2022 season was the first ever for Bonsall High School softball.