Nine South County high school softball teams enter this week still in contention for San Diego Section division championships. It’s a blur as to which teams will advance to reach their end goal with elimination games scheduled Tuesday and Thursday.
Top-seeded Mater Dei Catholic (29-4) and third-seeded Bonita Vista (16-9) both won their opening two games to advance to Thursday’s Open Division semifinals.
Two teams are still battling in the Division III playoff field: second-seeded Hilltop (14-12-1) and fourth-seeded Mar Vista (21-6).
Fifth-seeded Sweetwater (19-9) remains alive in the Division IV playoff field along with top-seeded Southwest (17-6) while three teams are still playing in the Division V field: second-seeded Montgomery (13-12), fifth-seeded San Yisdro (13-13) and sixth-seeded Bayfront Charter (10-3).
Open Division
Mater Dei Catholic topped fifth-seeded Carlsbad, 7-2, in Saturday’s second round while Bonita Vista blanked seventh-seeded Torrey Pines, 6-0, to second a berth in the division’s Final Four.
Alena Ramirez, Alyssa Garcia and Jalyse Hanson each drove in two runs in Saturday’s victory. Garcia led the Crusaders with three hits while Ramirez scored two runs.
Lexi Sosa (22-2) pitched a complete game three-hitter, striking out eight batters while issuing just one base on balls.
The Crusaders, loaded with Division I NCAA prospects, are currently riding an imposing 16-game winning streak.
Coach Mike Centrullo calls the 2019 MDCHS team the program’s best in 20 years.
“We’ve had great teams in the past but, from top to bottom, this is the best team,” Centrullo said
Garcia, the 2019 Mesa League Player of the Year, leads Mater Dei Catholic with a .539 hitting average with 32 RBI, 14 doubles and five home runs.
Sosa is hitting .460 with a team best 38 RBI and 11 home runs. In the pitching circle she has compiled a 1.11 earned-run average with 218 strikeouts in 163 innings pitched. She has appeared in 31 of her team’s 33 games.
Torrey Pines (19-9) will meet eighth-seeded Poway (17-12-1) in an elimination game on Tuesday, with the winner advancing to Thursday’s semifinals against Mater Dei Catholic at the Santee Sportsplex.
Poway eliminated fourth-seeded Eastlake, 8-5, in a second-round game on Saturday. Hannah Slike and Sharlize Palacios each had two RBI for the Titans, who ended an otherwise standout season 19-9.
Eastlake finished as last year’s Division I runner-up team.
Torrey Pines, which eliminated sixth-seeded Granite Hills, 3-2, in 11 innings on Saturday, defeated Rancho Bernardo, 4-2, in the first round of the playoffs.
“We need two more wins (to win the championship), but we’re looking at one game at a time,” Centrullo said. “We want the one if the semis first. That’s the one we want right now.”
Bonita Vista’s Alexis Guevara pitched a complete game six-hit shutout, striking out five batters, to improve to 15-4 on the season.
Codi Gora drove in two runs while Julia Hill and Madalyn Loperena each had one RBI. Micaela Macario had two hits and scored three runs.
Guevara has a 1.89 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 115 innings. She leads the team with a .4565 hitting average with 28 RBI, eight doubles and four home runs.
Vinitiza Blanco is hitting .416 with eight doubles and 20 RBI while Macario is hitting .402 with 12 RBI and four triples. Gora is hitting .370 with 16 RBI, eight doubles and two home runs.
Carlsbad (17-9-1) will face second-seeded Rancho Bernardo (20-5) in an elimination game on Tuesday, with the winning advancing to meet the Lady Barons in Thursday’s semifinals at the Santee Sportsplex.
The tournament remains double-elimination, meaning that both Mater Dei Catholic and Bonita Vista will have to lose two games on Thursday to miss the finals. However, a win by either team would put them on a collision course to meet in Saturday’s championship game at UC San Diego (7 p.m. start).
Division III
Hilltop dropped a 1-0 decision to third-seeded Mission Bay (17-6) in Saturday’s third round to advance to meet fourth-seeded Mar Vista in an elimination game on Tuesday after the South Bay League champion Mariners eliminated eighth-seeded Mira Mesa (13-18) by a score of 10-0 on Saturday.
Top-seeded Coronado (22-1-1) will face sixth-seeded Oceanside (17-9-1) in another elimination game on Tuesday.
The Coronado-Oceanside winner will play the Mar Vista-Hilltop winner in Thursday’s division semifinals, with the winner of that game playing the loser between Mission Bay and fifth-seeded Central Union (23-10).
The Lancers or Mariners will need to win two games on Thursday to advance to Saturday’s championship game at UC San Diego. A loss on Tuesday or Thursday eliminates either Hilltop or Mar Vista in the double-elimination tournament.
The Division III championship game is scheduled Saturday, May 25, at 2 p.m. at UC San Diego.
Freshman Lily Hermosillo leads Hilltop with a .453 hitting average and 25 RBI. Sophomore Elizabeth Olguin follows with a .386 hitting average and 18 RBI while freshman Sofia Vega is hitting .361 with 23 RBI and three home runs.
Senior Alexia Sandoval is 11-9 in the pitching circle with a 3.66 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 111 innings.
Sophomore Lexy Tubman led Mar Vista through 13 games with a .591 hitting average, followed by junior Abigail Rivera (.448), freshmen Lenika Padilla (.438) and Shaunessy Cardwell (.391).
Rivera carried a 6-1 record and 1.49 ERA into the second half of the season.
Division IV
Southwest can advance directly to Saturday’s championship game with a win over Mission Vista in Thursday’s semifinals or a win in the ensuing challenger bracket final contest.
Southwest, this year’s South Bay League runner-up team, shut out Escondido Charter, 10-0, on Saturday to advance to the semifinals after opening with a 10-0 win over xx- Palo Verde Valley on May 16.
Senior Gisselle Hernandez tops the Raiders with a .652 hitting average with 19 RBI and nine home runs while classmate Arissa Rodriguez is hitting .567 with 17 RBI.
Senior Jesskari Rodriguez, who picked up the wins in both playoff games so far for Southwest, is 9-2 in 20 appearances on the season with a 2.512 ERA and 138 strikeouts in 83 innings. She’s also hitting .426 at the plate with 20 RBI.
Meanwhile, Sweetwater blasted ninth-seeded Palo Verde Valley, 19-8, on Saturday to advance to Tuesday’s elimination game against second-seeded Canyon Crest Academy (13-12) with a chance to advance to Thursday’s division semifinals.
The Lady Red Devils took command on Saturday’s third-round game early by scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning while tacking on 10 runs in the bottom of the second inning. The National City team rolled across five more runs in the bottom of the third inning to take a dominating 18-0 lead.
However, the Yellow Jackets (9-18) poured across eight runs in the top of the fourth inning before Sweetwater could end the game via the mercy-rule after five innings.
The Sweetwater- Canyon Crest Academy winner will face the winner between Monte Vista (17-11) and Escondido Charter (13-7) in Thursday’s semifinal-round opener. The winner of that game will play the loser between top-seeded Southwest, the South Bay League runner-up, and third-seeded Mission Vista (15-9).
Escondido Charter edged Sweetwater, 4-3, in the teams’ second-round meeting last Thursday.
The Division IV championship game is Saturday, May 25, at 11:30 a.m. at UC San Diego.
Division V
San Ysidro and Montgomery will meet in Thursday’s semifinals after each team emerged with a victory in Saturday’s second round of double-elimination play.
San Ysidro clubbed top-seeded Mountain Empire, 18-11, while Montgomery topped third-seeded Maranatha Christian (12-8) by a score of 6-2.
Bayfont Charter (10-3) defeated 10th-seeded Chula Vista Learning Community Charter (11-15) to advance against top-seeded Mountain Empire (13-4) in Tuesday’s elimination round.
Maranatha Christian (12-8) will meet eighth-seeded Kearny (12-10) in an elimination game on Tuesday after Kearny eliminated fourth-seeded Ocean View Christian Academy (14-4) by a score of 20-0 on Saturday.
Maranatha Christian shaded Bayfront Charter, 8-7, in a first-round game on May 15.
San Ysidro opened the playoffs with an 18-2 win over Ocean View Christian Academy on May 15.
The Division V championship game is scheduled Friday, May 24, at 5 p.m. at UC San Diego.
Photo Gallery by Roberto Bonilla
San Diego Section
Softball Playoff Schedule
Open Division
Tuesday, May 21
Elimination Round
(2) Rancho Bernardo 4, (5) Carlsbad 2
(8) Poway 4, (7) Torrey Pines 2
Thursday, May 23
Semifinals at Santee Sportsplex
(2) Rancho Bernardo (21-5)vs. (3) Bonita Vista (16-9), 4 p.m.
(1) Mater Dei Catholic (29-4) vs. (8) Poway (18-12-1), 4 p.m.
Note: double-elimination rules apply with a replay, if necessary, at 6 p.m.
Division I
Elimination Round
(12) University City 8, (6) Cathedral Catholic 5
(3) Grossmont 6, (4) Rancho Buena Vista 2
Thursday, May 23
Semifinals at Poway Sportsplex
(3) Grossmont (21-12) vs. (12) University City (15-15), noon
(1) Scripps Ranch (19-11) vs. (2) San Marcos (15-11), 3 p.m.
Note: winner advances to championship game; loser must play an elimination game at 6 p.m.
Division II
Elimination Round
(6) Southwest El Centro 8, (1) Patrick Henry 5
(3) Mission Hills 10, (8) La Costa Canyon 4
Thursday, May 23
Semifinals at Santee Sportsplex
(3) Mission HIls (19-11-1) vs. (6) Southwest El Centro (20-12), 2 p.m.
(2) Brawley (27-6) vs. (5) San Pasqual (23-10), 4:15 p.m.
Note: winner advances to championship game; loser must play an elimination game at 6:30 p.m.
Division III
Tuesday, May 21
Elimination Round
(4) Mar Vista 5, (2) Hilltop 2
(6) Oceanside 17, (1) Coronado 6
Thursday, May 23
Semifinals at Poway Sportsplex
(4) Mar Vista (22-6) vs. (6) Oceanside (18-9-1), noon
(3) Mission Bay (17-6) vs. (5) Central Union (23-10), 3 p.m.
Note: winner advances to championship game; loser must play an elimination game at 6 p.m.
Division IV
Tuesday, May 21
Elimination Round
(2) Canyon Crest Academy 10, (5) Sweetwater 2
(4) Escondido Charter 9, (7) Monte Vista 3
Thursday, May 23
Semifinals at Santee Sportsplex
(2) Canyon Crest Academy (14-12) vs. (4) Escondido Charter (14-7), 2 p.m.
(1) Southwest (17-6) vs. (3) Mission Vista (15-9), noon
Note: winner advances to championship game; loser must play an elimination game at 2 p.m.
Division V
Tuesday, May 21
Elimination Round
(3) Maranatha Christian 12, (5) Kearny 1
(1) Mountain Empire 12, (6) Bayfront Charter 11
Thursday, May 23
Semifinals at Poway Sportsplex
(1) Mountain Empire (14-4) vs. (3) Maranatha Christian (13-8), noon
(2) Montgomery (13-12) vs. (5) San Ysidro (13-13), 3 p.m.
Note: winner advances to championship game; loser must play an elimination game at 6 p.m.
