Area teams are one step away from a Championship date.
The Mid Valley Sports coverage area is guaranteed one Championship team as Division V has an all MVS feel to it. Bonita can continue their magical run with a win over Ayala. La Salle has redemption on their minds and another Championship appearance is insight.
DIVISION III
Bonita (25-4-1) @ Ayala (27-5) – The Bearcats are living up to their top-seed in the Division III playoffs with clutch-hitting and stellar pitching.
Bonita came from behind in their quarter-final game against Mission Viejo having to score twice in the bottom half of the seventh inning to get into the semi-finals.
Bearcats pitcher Chloe Wurst has been shutting opposition in the playoffs holding opponents to one run a game. Her ERA during the season is 0.81 and has struck out 266 batters.
Jazzlyn Costa, Breanna Sandoval, and Jacki Campa all are batting over .400 for the season and set the table for Karissa Crawford’s 29 RBI’s.
Now the Bonita must face UCLA bound pitcher Jessica Hall who has not been scored on this playoff run for Ayala.
The Bulldogs were co-champion of the Sierra League with Glendora.
Hall fuels Ayala not only in the circle and with the bat, as she matches the Bearcats HR total with five. She also has 306 strike outs on the season and an eye-popping 0.59 ERA.
Bonita must also contend with Mary Massei and Brianna Celaya who both have the ability to get on with timely hits.
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Bonita: Kaiser 6-0, Sunny Hills 1-0, Mission Viejo 4-3
Ayala: Patriot 7-0, Burroughs 12-0, Aliso Niguel 4-0
DIVISION V
Village Christian (24-5) @ Whittier Christian (24-7) – The top-ranked Heralds are one game away from defending their Division V Title.
Whittier Christian did not lose in the month of May and try to add to their nine-game winning streak. During that span the Heralds have only allowed one run.
Opponents in the CIF playoffs have yet to score on Whittier Christian pitcher Courtney McGee.
McGee has been incredible in the circle all season long and at one point in the season threw back-to-back no-hitters.
The biggest flaw for the Heralds would be their offense as they have struggled at the plate with only McGee batting over .400.
The Crusaders had to play their way into the main playoff draw with a win against Godinez in the Wild Card game.
Village Christian is led by Emily Seidel in the circle and with the bat as she leads the team with a 0.47 ERA and three homers during the season.
Unlike the Heralds, the Crusaders have no one batting over .400. Village Christian does have six batters over .300 with Madeline Velasquez leading the team with a .397 average.
Both teams met during league play and split the season series.
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Village Christian: Godinez 9-0, Duarte 2-0, Beaumont 6-1, San Dimas 3-0
Whittier Christian: Rowland 1-0, Western 1-0, San Marino 1-0
La Canada (25-4) @ South Hills (22-7-1) – Up until two weeks ago the big question for the Lady Spartans was if they could manufacture runs to win enough games to reach the finals. With one game left the answer has been an overwhelming, “yes”.
La Canada has used their bats to win games during this post-season and have two strong arms to get them through rough patches during the game.
With Lauren O’Leary and Lauren Cox pitching, the Spartans will be in every game heading into the final inning.
Anna Edwards is a hard out with an astounding .600 average and leads the team with nine homer-runs. Add the emergence of Catherine Horner hitting in front of Edwards and it is “pick your poison” for the opposing pitcher.
South Hills can score runs, as evident to their 51 runs scored in three playoff games. The biggest question mark for the Huskies is pitching. Can Sydney La Follette keep the La Canada bats quiet?
During the South Hills playoff run, La Follette has pitched like a senior and has only allowed four runs.
The Huskies do have some clutch hitters in Sam Nieves, Brittney Rodriguez, and Kristen Stewart who have combined for 71 RBI’s during the seaso
In the field, Rodriguez is spot-on handling La Follette and Lexi Robles is a star in the making with her range at second base and plays like a seasoned four-year star.
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
La Canada: Sierra Vista 15-0, Northview 4-3, Savanna 5-0
South Hills: Azusa 23-1, Barstow 18-0, Valley Christian 10-3
DIVISION VI
San Gabriel Mission (20-3) @ La Salle (23-6) – The Lancers remember last season’s heart-breaking loss in the CIF Division VI finals last year. This season it has been about redemption for the three seniors and is now one game away from a possible re-match with Marymount.
Allie Forillo has set every pitching record at La Salle and has been on a mission since losing to Arcadia on April 16th. Forillo has 334 strike outs on the season and a .53 ERA.
Forillo has been tough to score against as she has allowed one run in three playoff games for the Lancers.
Prior to the season, a question of where the hitting would come from as Maddie Herlache and Katie Tripoli both left for college. The answer was Forillo (.407), Colleen McWilliams (.471), Sterling Shuster (.375) and Katie Smither (.342). As a team La Salle has .347 batting average.
Cinderella is wearing green and in the “City with a Mission”.
The Pioneers are led by freshman- shortstop Priscilla Hernandez who leads the team with a .560 average.
Pitching wise, Mission has Nicole Holguin and Angelica Preciado who are 17-1 combined with a .92 ERA.
In the playoffs, the Pioneers have knocked off the third-seeded team in Oak Hills and can add the second-seeded Lancers.
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Mission: Ramon Convent 4-2, Oak Hills 8-4, Nordhoff 2-1
La Salle: Baptist Christian 19-0, Arroyo 2-1, Carpinteria 1-0
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