SOFTBALL: Milpitas JV Team Completes Perfect Season

Every coach tries to preach certain principles from the very start, hoping that their newly formed bunch will adopt such plans to carry forward.

In the case of the Milpitas High junior varsity softball team, it turned out, practice really does make perfect.

The Milpitas JV bunch rolled forward with wins over, Lynbrook (9-5),Monta Vista (14-4) and Gunn High-Palo Alto last Wednesday (5-0) to complete the 12-0 run through the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League El Camino Division.

 One of the key factors mentioned in the team’s success came in a two-fold package—chemistry and defense.

Both traits were developed on the practice field from day one of the 2011 campaign. Every practice started with basic defensive drills that were tedious, but necessary to instill the defense principles needed to be successful.

“It was amazing to finish off the year like that,” Milpitas JV softball head coach Eileen Unger said. “Initially, the girls were a little rough. But after some time on the practice field, the lights came on and the girls started hitting and fielding. A lot of the prep work was just fundamentals. It wasn’t fun, but it was vital for us to improve.”

The El Camino champs came out of the gate a little slow in the season finale against Gunn. After beating Gunn 17-1 in the team’s first meeting, the game was tied 0-0 through the first four innings of play.

“We were sleepwalking out there,” Unger said. “I pulled them aside after the fourth inning and asked them if they really wanted to do this. The undefeated season was right in front of us, but they needed to go get it.”

The Trojans responded with five runs in the final three innings of play, concluding a league title run with an impressive shutout.

Freshman pitcher Jalaena Bumagat started every game but one for the Trojans this year, using her lively fastball and wicked changeup to keep hitters off balance all year long.

“I didn’t expect this at first,” Bumagat said. “In the beginning, we didn’t have the chemistry that we have now. We started hanging out together off the field and playing so much together on the field. It just really helped us as a team get closer.”

The double digit win streak to close out the year didn’t lead to many long faces, however, an injury in the final game versus Gunn put a sudden damper on the finale.

Freshman first baseman Breana Pawlovich slid into second base early in the game, catching her metal cleats on the turf in the process. The awkward slide ended up breaking the young Trojans ankle.

“I knew something was wrong right away,” Pawlovich said. “I never made it to the base. I actually lifted my good foot and touched second before they could tag me out.”

The school will provide a banner for the title winning team and the Central Coast Section will send over a certificate.

Everyone contributed to the Trojans stellar run, including a trio of important juniors, Romalyn Abalos (center field), Reina Ladua, (right field) and Crystal Dietzman (third base and pitcher) all aided the winning ways of the Milpitas bunch.