Head coach Mike Corsaut praised his staff and players following the 12th-seeded Ceres High softball team’s 5-3 loss to fifth-seeded Rosemont in the opening round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-III playoffs on May 14 in Sacramento.

Nikole Ferrel, Tim Costa, Mady Costa and Shania Johnson filled in for Corsaut, who missed the game for health reasons.

“My coaches did a great job,” said Corsaut. “I’m proud of the girls. They played hard. They competed. Me not being there didn’t make a difference. They’re competitors. I trust them and my coaches.”

“We found out after the game he was getting sent home,” said Ferrel. “The girls tried to win the game for him.”

Four months removed from being hospitalized with pneumonia, Corsaut was admitted to Kaiser Modesto Medical Center the day of the Ceres High-Rosemont contest after having trouble breathing.

“I had to go to the ER,” explained Corsaut. “It was a scary situation. I had some of the same symptoms. I could barely breathe. I started coughing really bad. I hated not being there for my team. I was texting them. I told them don’t worry about me. I feel 100 times better today.”

Ceres High nearly upset Rosemont.

The Bulldogs led 2-0 through three-and-a-half innings of play.

Down 2-1, the Wolverines scored three runs with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Ceres High collected a total of 10 hits during the game. Rosemont totaled six.

“The girls are disappointed that they lost,” Corsaut said. “I’m proud of them. They did their best. That’s all I can ask for. We battled them. I thought we were going to win.”

Ceres High amassed a 14-9 overall record this spring.

The Bulldogs won 13 of 14 games en route to claiming their second straight Western Athletic Conference title.

Rosemont lost 9-2 to fourth-seeded Ponderosa in the quarterfinals of the playoffs on May 16.

The Wolverines compiled a 21-2 overall record and finished first in the Sierra Valley Conference standings (14-1).

“We met our goal of winning league,” Corsaut said. “That was awesome.”