Vista Murrieta softball coach Chantal Smith decided to take a different approach this week when preparing her team to face 20-0 Murrieta Mesa.

“I just wanted to change their mindset,” she said. “We were focusing on the outcome, controlling what we could control, playing 100% and just having fun. We had nothing to lose.”

So the improbable happened. Vista Murrieta, with a 10-10 record going in, handed No. 1-ranked Murrieta Mesa its first defeat, 10-5, on Tuesday.

“It was pretty amazing,” Smith said. “The girls jumped up and down and screamed.”

Sophomore pitcher Kaylynn Lowman gave up two home runs to Murrieta Mesa in the first inning but didn’t pout. She ended up throwing a complete game with two strikeouts and no walks.

“They mentally stayed in from start to finish,” a proud Smith said. “They never gave up. They didn’t care about the start.”

It's another lesson about the resiliency of teenage athletes and the power of a coach's words.

"If we play our game, we can beat anybody," Smith told her players.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.