CCS softball roundup: The King’s Academy, Hillsdale, Westmont, Woodside win titles
Katia Nesper had to be on top of her pitching game Saturday as The King’s Academy aimed for its first Central Coast Section softball championship.
As expected, there was no margin for error in the Division I final at West Valley College, not against a Gilroy team that had allowed just one run in two previous playoff games.
Nesper met the challenge.
The junior pitched a two-hitter with 12 strikeouts and no walks to lead fourth-seeded TKA to a 1-0 victory over second-seeded Gilroy, capping a playoff run for the Knights that included a nine-inning win over Hollister in the opening round and a shutout win over top-seeded Live Oak in the semifinals.
“From the beginning of the year, we had one goal — one goal only — and that was to go to playoffs,” TKA coach Mark Street said. “Last year we got there and we were one game short from getting into the championship game. This year, we we had a schedule that allowed us to be able to compete against top-level teams, and that that put us in a position now that we were we were ready for this. They stayed together as a group, they believed in each other and, let’s face it, I’ve got one of the best pitchers of the country.”
Gilroy’s Ariela Yslava was almost as dominant as Nesper. She pitched all seven innings, allowing one run and four hits with nine strikeouts and one walk.
Kes Wong provided all the offense Nesper needed, hitting a one-out double to left in the second inning to drive in Hannah Woo with the game’s only run.
Andrea Alvarez accounted for Gilroy’s two hits.
Division II
No. 1 Hillsdale 4, No. 7 San Mateo 1: Given that Hillsdale hadn’t lost to crosstown rival San Mateo since MaxPreps began recording results two decades ago, there was a clear favorite when the teams met on Saturday morning for the CCS Division II title at West Valley College.
It was more competitive than when they played on May 13 — an 11-1 Hillsdale win — but the Knights ran their record to 16-0 over San Mateo in the MaxPreps era nonetheless.
Hillsdale scored three runs in the fifth to break a 1-1 tie and went on to capture its fifth section title in softball but first since 1991.
Sophia Shelton had two hits and knocked in two runs, Taylor O’Mahony added two hits and Lola Jones struck out seven in a complete-game effort to lead Hillsdale (19-9-1).
Alice Han had three hits, including a homer and double, for San Mateo (16-10).
Division III
No. 4 Westmont 4, No. 7 Aptos 3
Lucky Felder drove in two runs and Sophia Burich knocked in one during a third-inning rally that gave Westmont a four-run lead.
Turns out, the Warriors needed all of those runs to capture the CCS Division III title at San Jose City College after Aptos rallied for two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth.
Westmont held on as Regan Steele pitched a complete game with nine strikeouts.
The Warriors improved to 16-14. Aptos is 17-8.
Division IV
No. 3 Woodside 4, No. 8 Palma 3: Victoria Torsh delivered the big hit for Woodside, hitting a three-run double in the bottom of the first inning Saturday morning at San Jose City College.
But it was Vanessa Carlos’ single in the third and fielding error on the same play that accounted for Woodside’s fourth run, which the Wildcats needed after Palma (10-15-1) rallied for two in the sixth and one in the seventh.
With the tying run on second base, Hannah Walker induced a fly out to center field to end the game and ignite a celebration for Woodside (16-11), which won its first CCS title in softball.
Division V
No. 4 King City 11, No. 2 South San Francisco 4
The Warriors jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but it was all King City after that in the D-V title game played at San Jose City College.
The Mustangs (18-11) scored five runs in the third inning to go on top 5-2, then had another five-run outburst in the sixth to make it 11-3.
Freshman Keira Crutchfield was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Maggie Bergesen also had two hits and drove in one run. The Warriors are 16-9.