Baldwin Park softball team wins championship after beloved coach suffers series of strokes

BALDWIN PARK (KABC) -- A Southern California softball team recently celebrated a championship after facing challenges that go far beyond the diamond.

After months of hard work, the Baldwin Park 14-and-under softball team won the Southern California's Junior League state championship.

"They did not lay down. They had it in their heart that they were going to do this. Not only for themselves but for the coach, the manager that we have," coach Alberto Velazquez said.

Their coach, Amador Ortega, is in a convalescent home after he suffered a series of strokes last October. Players visited him after they won the championship.

Most of the girls were very young when he started coaching them, including his daughter Bella.

Bella, a pitcher, dealt with injuries while helping lead her team to victory.

"I was just thinking that he wanted me to keep playing and he wanted us to win it, so I just kept playing for him," she said.

"Bella's the youngest of our three and she's very close to her dad," Bella's mother Myrna Fonseca said. "He's coached her since she was 4 years old."

The champions are preparing for their next challenge - the Western Regional tournament in Arizona.

Members of the team sold tacos during a fundraiser and a GoFundMe page has been set up to help the girls cover expenses for the dream trip to compete in Arizona.

"It's exciting. It's really a lifetime experience not many girls can experience," player Trinity Carrasco said.

A GoFundMe page has also been set up to help coach Ortega with medical expenses.