It was a date for firsts last Saturday at Helix Charter High School as the Otay Ranch High School softball team made its first appearance in a San Diego Section championship game and came away with its first CIF championship after defeating the host Highlanders, 4-0, to capture the Division II title.
“Amazing, really an incredible feat,” Otay Ranch High School athletic director Judd Rachow said in the afterglow of victory.
Otay Ranch (18-7) compiled a 14-7 regular season record that included a 4-6 finish in Mesa League play and a fourth-place finish in the league standings behind Open Division qualifiers Bonita Vista (9-1, 18-7), Mater Dei Catholic (8-2, 26-2) and Eastlake (7-3, 16-7).
The Lady Mustangs finished regular season play 10-1 in non-league and tournament competition, however, which spoke volumes for the team’s potential in postseason competition.
Otay Ranch swept its four playoff games.
“The secret to success was keeping a team-first approach, understanding what kind of team we were and playing to our strengths and trying to minimize our weaknesses,” Lady Mustangs coach Johnny Ayala said. “We had a great mix of power hitters, speedsters and bunters.”
The Lady Mustangs also had the Loper twins, who figured prominently in the team’s success as junior standouts.
Maya Loper paced Otay Ranch in the pitching circle with a 16-7 record, 0.71 earned-run average, 10 shutouts and 182 strikeouts in 148 innings. She also showed her offensive prowess with a .310 hitting average, 16 RBI, six doubles and three home runs.
The numbers for RBI, doubles and home runs were all team bests.
Sarah Loper, her sister’s battery mate behind the plate, hit .317 with 12 RBI and three doubles. She compiled a .994 fielding percentage in 23 games and ranked in a tie for second on the team in RBI count.
Sophomore Isabel Vinulan topped the Lady Mustangs with a .329 hitting average, followed by junior Lillian Start (.321), the Loper twins, senior Jaeden Inguito (.295) and freshmen Nataly Lozano (.288) and Isabel Cintron (.275).
Vinulan ranked third on the team with 11 RBI.
Junior Michaela Mau led the team with 12 stolen bases, followed by Inguito with 10.
“Maya and Sarah were two big contributors to the team’s success,” Ayala said. “They are leaders on and off the field, but once we made it to finals it was really about sticking to our plan, believing in it and the girls just executing.
“They have been working very hard all season and getting to compete in Mesa League, which in my opinion is one of the toughest leagues, really prepared them physically and mentally. It was just nice to see them come together as a team and bring Otay Ranch High School a softball banner.”
The Lady Mustangs began their championship playoff odyssey as the No. 2 seed in the division while Helix (10-0 in Grossmont Hills League) received the No. 1 seed.
Otay Ranch defeated seventh-seeded El Capitan, 8-3, in its first postseason game as Start plated two runs and Vinulan scored twice. Maya Loper allowed one hit while striking out nine batters.
The Lady Mustangs advanced to meet third-seeded University City in the second round after the Lady Centurions had defeated 11th-seeded La Costa Canyon, 6-5, in the opening round.
Otay Ranch defeated UC, 10-7, behind three RBI by Inguito while Mau scored three runs. Freshman Anissa Zambrano (five hits, three earned runs) got the start the picked up the win with relief help from Maya Loper (two hits, two earned runs, four strikeouts).
The Lady Centurions (20-9-1) eliminated La Costa Canyon (13-15) by a score of 6-2 in a third-round game to get a second chance at the Lady Mustangs in the tournament’s double-elimination format.
Otay Ranch was prepared, however, and eliminated University City by a score of 7-0 after scoring five runs in the first inning.
Maya Loper tossed a no-hitter with six strikeouts. She faced 25 batters — four over the minimum (on walks). Lozano had two RBI while Vinulan scored two runs.
Helix opened the playoffs on June 9 with a 3-1 win over eighth-seeded Hilltop, which had topped ninth-seeded Mt. Carmel, 5-4, in a play-in game.
Juniors Lilly White and Amber Young and senior Isabella Bordine each collected one RBI while junior Sophia Ramuno tossed a three-hitter with six strikeouts. Hilltop’s lone run came on a home run by junior Lily Hermosillo.
The Highlander ladies then added a 7-2 victory over league rival Steele Canyon, seeded fourth, in the second round on June 11 to advance to the fourth round on June 17 while riding a 13-game winning streak.
Bordine and classmate Jiovana Nuanez both had two RBI in the victory while Nuanez picked up the win in the pitching circle.
The fifth-seeded Del Norte Nighthawks (19-14) may not have been that impressed, however, as they handed Helix an 8-1 setback to set up a double-elimination rematch on June 18 — with the winner advancing to the championship game the next day on little rest.
Junior Kori Jonilonis, who made some great defensive plays in right and left field, came through with the clutch two-run single that spurred Helix to a 2-1 win over Del Norte and a berth in the finals.
Ramuno ran her record to 13-1 by scattering six hits and striking out four batters.
The Highlander ladies had won the with same formula all season long: outstanding pitching, solid defense and just enough timely hits. “It wasn’t always pretty but somehow our girls regularly found a way to come out on top,” Helix coach Darren Emery said.
The Grossmont Hills League champions appeared to have met their match with the Lady Mustangs, however.
Maya Loper fired a one-hitter with 14 strikeouts in the championship game for Otay Ranch while also collecting one RBI. Vinluan drove in two runs while Sarah Loper one RBI.
The Lady Mustangs rapped out 11 hits in the final — two each by Vinluan, Mau and Cintron.
“It was disappointing to lose in the finals, but Otay Ranch is an outstanding team and we just couldn’t get the timely hit we needed to gain the momentum,” Emery said. “Still, we are very proud of what our girls accomplished this year and consider this a very successful season for Helix High School.”
Helix Charter ended its season with an otherwise outstanding 26-6 overall mark. The 26 wins denote a new school record, surpassing the former record of 22 wins.
The Highlanders finished the season by winning 14 of their last 16 games, including playoffs.
“It was a good run,” Emery summarized.
Otay Ranch will graduate four seniors off this year’s CIF championship squad.
“It was important to them to get back and finish what our previous seniors started last season before the shutdown,” Ayala said.
Around the horn
South Bay League champion Mar Vista (21-3) received the No. 6 seed in the Division II bracket while Olympian (10-20) received the No. 12 seed after defeating Clairemont, 5-3, in an out-bracket contest.
Mar Vista dropped a 5-2 decision to La Costa Canyon in the play-in round while Olympian lost, 5-3, to Del Norte to suffer early elimination in the tournament.
Mar Vista had finished 12-0 in league play.
Hilltop (13-13-1) bowed out of the playoffs following a 7-1 loss to LCC in a second-round game.
