VISTA VISTA — In a battle of unbeaten freshman aces, Bonita Vista High School’s Noelle Kalavi got a little more help from her newfound friends than Rancho Buena Vista’s Allison Keusch.
After Kalavi allowed one earned run in five innings, Barons acting head coach Rene Munoz called on yet another freshman, Sophia Ambriz, to close things down. Bonita Vista defeated Rancho Buena Vista 5-2 in a nonleague game pitting two teams hoping to crack the Top 10 rankings.
Kalavi, a 5-foot-11 right-hander, improved to 7-0 and lowered her ERA to 1.95. Ambriz, a 5-0 lefty, recorded her first save in her longest outing, facing just six batters and lowering her ERA to 3.32.
“Noelle’s really been amazing,” said Munoz, who managed in place of Alejandro Jordan (personal reasons). “She’s shown a lot of maturity for a freshman. She’s taken on a big role and has really stepped it up.”
Kalavi said her riseball was working well, and she wasn’t tired or in trouble when Ambriz replaced her in the sixth inning. Munoz said he made the switch “to give my other freshman a shot. So I could expose my other freshman to a quality team.”
Munoz has been an assistant to Jordan for seven years and is now 5-1 as a head coach.
Ranked 13th in the county, the Longhorns (9-5) took an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Abigail Niwata reached on an error, stole second and scored on an error. Keiri Carvalho doubled home pinch-runner A.J. Gonzalez for her 18th RBI of the season. After a single by Tiaira Richardson put runners on second and third, BV centerfielder Leiani Wilson made a diving catch in the gap on a liner by Camryn King that easily would have meant a 4-0 lead.
Bonita Vista used a double play to end the fifth inning. One frame later, Ambriz coaxed a grounder that shortstop Leah Letuli turned into a double play.
“We have a solid defense,” Munoz said. “It’s something we can always count on. Now that the bats are coming along and those freshmen keep pitching like they have, we’re moving in the right direction.”
The 11th-ranked Barons (10-7-1) scratched back with a run on a double by Sabrina Perez and an RBI single by Leiani Wilson. They took a 3-2 lead in the fourth on singles by Aryanna Salazar, Ariana Magdaleno, Letuli and Anaissa Del Rio.
Magdaleno blasted an RBI double in the fifth and Del Rio an RBI single in the sixth. A junior who had only started three games, Del Rio finished 2-for-3 with two RBI. Earlier this season, BV beat RBV 6-2 when Del Rio went 3-for-3.
“I usually come off the bench,” said Del Rio, who is now hitting .474. “I just try to keep my mind in the game. Trust and perform.”
Though Kalavi and Ambriz are freshmen, softball is not their first exposure to varsity. Kalavi played on the volleyball team, and Ambriz ran cross country.
“To their credit, they’ve got some kids up and down that lineup,” RBV assistant coach Mike Imoto said. “Those two double plays, they were solid. They had some timely hitting, great defense and good pitching. Tough to beat.”
Lindgren is a freelance writer.
