Warrior softball team coming together

Fallbrook High School's softball team won one of its first nine games this year. After an April 21 victory over Oceanside, the Warriors had won two of their first three Valley League contests and had an overall record of 6-14.

"We feel like we're kind of hitting our stride now in league," said Fallbrook co-coach Shannon Koran.

Fallbrook's league-opening loss April 9 at Valley Center was followed by a win April 14 at Mission Vista and the April 21 home triumph.

"We're getting better every single day, and that's what's important right now," said Fallbrook co-coach Patti Drew. "We're hoping to keep getting better and make it to the playoffs at the end of the season."

Scrimmages do not count towards season records, but catcher Morgan Pilbin sprained her ankle during a pre-season scrimmage against San Marcos and was unavailable for games which counted in the overall season. "We had to change our entire lineup when she was out," Koran said.

Pilbin returned to action with an at-bat March 26 against Granite Hills and played her first full game during the Spring Jamboree tournament in Las Vegas. The Warriors were 4-6 in their first 10 games following Pilbin's return – and that includes the 12-0 loss to Granite Hills. "Having Morgan back has really changed the dynamic of our team," Koran said.

Pilbin, a four-year varsity player, was the team's starting catcher in 2014 and was in right field in 2013 when Brittni Arena was Fallbrook's backstop. The 2014 right fielder, current senior Veronica Lowry, is not playing this year due to her academic quests. Outfielder Jenna Murphy and third baseman Juliana Fadaol are now playing for other high school teams. The Warriors had three seniors in 2014: shortstop Hailey Drew and first baseman Lauren Hirota were both four-year starters and Emily Casillas played third base.

"We have a lot of new faces this season," Patti Drew said. "It's kind of been a work in progress, but we're coming along."

Pilbin was batting .522 overall after the April 21 victory including .526 for the three league games. Fourth-year starter Brooke Koran, who is Fallbrook's pitcher, was hitting .439 at the plate including .538 in league and had two non-league home runs and eight runs batted in, including two during league competition.

Fallbrook has moved to the Valley League from the Avocado West League. "It's a good place for us to be in right now," Drew said. "It's a league that we can definitely compete in and win some games in, and that's good for us."

The Warriors were 3-5 in Avocado West League competition last year; two scheduled league games were cancelled due to the May fires.

"I like it a lot," Shannon Koran said of the Valley League. "The way that the kids we have now are responding, we feel like we're in a really good spot."

Valley Center defeated Fallbrook by a 7-0 margin. "It wasn't one of our better games," Drew said.

Shannon Koran and Patti Drew were Shannon Fitzgerald and Patti Pearson when they graduated from Fallbrook High School in 1988. The Warrior athletes they knew included 1987 graduate Bill Dunckel, who is now Valley Center's coach. Dunckel married Koran's college roommate, and their daughter plays on the San Diego Rebels club team Koran and Drew coach as does Valley Center sophomore Shelby Smith, who started the game against Fallbrook on the mound and allowed three hits in six innings. "I'm always worried about Valley Center. Bill is a very good coach and he gets the most out of his players," Koran said.

The Jaguars will travel to Fallbrook for a May 5 game. "We're looking to get them back at our place," Koran said.

The 8-0 win over Mission Vista was Fallbrook's second shutout victory of the season and matched the March 14 score against Santana in the Cougar Classic tournament. "We played really good defense," Koran said. "No matter who you play if you can get a shutout that's a tribute to the whole team."

Brooke Koran had 10 strikeouts against the Timberwolves. First baseman Britt Cox, a junior who is in her first year as a varsity player, had four hits in four at-bats. "Kind of her breakout game," Shannon Koran said.

"We played well both offensively and defensively and we had some timely hitting," Drew said. "It always helps to hit all the way through the lineup."

Fallbrook's victory over Oceanside was by a 10-1 score. "Two back-to-back games really good defense," Koran said. "We struggled a little bit with the pitching early in the game."

Six Warriors touched home plate in the bottom of the sixth. "The bottom of the order stepped up in the sixth inning," Koran said.

The game included Pilbin making a diving catch on a foul pop-up behind the plate. "We had a couple of really good defensive plays," Koran said.

"It was a good overall team victory. We played really good defense. Brooke pitched well and our hitters came alive about the middle of the game and we were able to put some runs on the board to win," Drew said.