CIF NorCal softball roundup: Willow Glen’s season ends at Del Oro; Northgate rolls

Willow Glen won its first 28 games this season and nearly stretched the streak to 29 but lost to St. Francis on Saturday in eight innings with the Central Coast Section Open Division championship on the line.

Given a chance to return to its winning ways Tuesday in Loomis, Willow Glen instead watched its season end.

Second-seeded Del Oro scored seven runs in the first inning, withstood a four-run Willow Glen rally in the fourth and went on to advance to the semifinals of the CIF Northern California Division I regionals with a 9-4 victory over the seventh-seeded Rams.

The Golden Eagles will be back at home on Thursday to face third-seeded St. Francis, which rallied to beat Rocklin 3-2 on Tuesday after defeating Willow Glen 9-6 on Saturday.

Lea Crawford accounted for all four Willow Glen runs with a fourth-inning grand slam that cut the margin to 7-4.

Del Oro answered with two in the bottom half of the frame.

Maia Mendoza and Haley Ocumen each had a hit for Willow Glen, which finished 28-2.

Del Oro improved to 29-2.

No. 1 Oak Ridge 10, No. 8 Capuchino 0

The Trojans (25-4) scored four runs in the first inning and five more in the second. The game was called after 4½ innings due to the 10-run rule. Oak Ridge won for the 10th time in 11 games.

Capuchino (21-8) managed only two hits against Trojans’ pitcher Ellison Schroeder, one each by Avery Motroni and Lily Thomas.

Motroni, who will continue playing softball at Arizona State next season, hit .511 this season with 11 doubles, one triple and five homers. She drove in 34 runs.

Schroeder has signed to play at Santa Clara next season. She won 20 games this season and averaged over a strikeout per inning.

Division II

No. 4 Liberty 14, No. 3 Central Catholic 3 

The Lions made quick work of Central Catholic at home as they scored 14 runs on 14 hits to advance to the semifinals. 

Kylee McKinney, Taylor Jennings and Isabella Rice each had a home run and three RBIs. Liberty built a five-run lead after three innings and exploded for seven in the fourth to put the game away. 

Liberty (24-4) will travel to top-seeded Vanden on Thursday.

No. 1 Vanden 7, No. 8 Foothill 6

In a game where the lead changed hands four times, the Vikings (22-4) scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to pull out the hard-fought victory.

The Falcons (16-10-1) had three two-run innings and had leads of 2-1 and 6-5, but it wasn’t enough.

Foothill took its last lead at 6-5 in the sixth. Naima Braham doubled to left and took third on a sacrifice. A ground ball tied the score, then sophomore Alexa Sponsel homered to center, putting the Falcons ahead.

It didn’t last. Ayrelyn Chavez and KJ Horton hit RBI doubles in the seventh to win the game for Vanden. Horton’s double was a walk off.

Sophia Burdick, Kaycie Burdick, Addison Chandler and Sponsel each had two of the Falcons’ 12 hits.

Division II

No. 6 The King’s Academy 5, No. 3 Destiny Christian Academy 4 

A three-run rally in the seventh inning kept King’s Academy’s season alive in Sacramento. Chaeli Yamakoshi doubled to lead off, then Sophie Giles doubled to score Yamakoshi.

After Mia Bennette reached base on an error, Katia Nesper singled to left, clearing the bases and giving the Knights a one-run lead. Then she returned to the circle, where she struck out the side to seal the win.

Destiny (23-3) took a first-inning lead on a two-run homer by Mia Jimenez. Bennette responded with a two-run double in the fifth, but Sophia Fountaine countered with a two-run shot in the bottom of the frame.

Nesper pitched a complete game with four runs allowed on six hits and 14 strikeouts. TKA (22-7) will next travel to face Salinas (19-8) in the NorCal D-II semifinals on Thursday at 4 p.m.

Division III

No. 6 Pleasant Valley 1, No. 3 Carondelet 0

Pleasant Valley needed just one run to beat Carondelet as senior Alissa Snipes dominated in the pitcher’s circle. 

Snipes threw a one-hitter and struck out eight to lead Pleasant Valley into the semifinals on Thursday at No. 2 Cardinal Newman. 

Carondelet finished the season 15-14. 

Division IV

No. 4 Northgate 11, No. 5 Gridley 2

Chloe Alfonso homered, Lucky Franco and Stella Hanko each drove in two runs and Ashley Herman struck out 13 to lead Northgate past visiting Gridley in an opening-round NorCal Division IV game.

The Broncos scored eight runs in the second, gave up two in the fourth and then responded with two in the fifth and one in the sixth.

Northgate (14-11) will travel to play top-seeded East Nicolaus in the semifinals on Thursday.

Gridley finished 19-6.

No. 1 East Nicolaus 7, No. 8 Woodside 1

East Nicolaus built a 5-0 lead through five innings and coasted. The Wildcats cut the lead to 5-1 with a run in the sixth, but the home team came right back with two in the bottom of the inning.

Elizabeth Severin scored the Woodside run on an error. She reached base on a walk.

The Wildcats (16-12) managed only three hits, including a double by Marisa Calderon.

East Nicolaus (22-6) will host Northgate in the D-IV semifinals on Thursday.

No. 3 San Leandro 4, No. 6 University Prep-Redding 3 

San Leandro walked off a win in the bottom of the ninth as Jade Orta hit a two-out single to left, scoring Marley Santos. 

The Pirates (22-8) had to come through in the bottom of the seventh to prolong the contest and save their season. Down 3-2, they rallied with a single by Santos, another by Marina Sacrey and a game-tying double by Julianna Morales. 

Sacrey had run-scoring doubles for San Leandro in the third and fifth innings. She also pitched the entire game, going nine innings with just one earned run allowed and seven strikeouts. 

San Leandro advances to face No. 7 Aptos, which upset No. 2 Argonaut 4-3 on Tuesday. The Pirates will host Aptos in a surprising home semifinal at 6 p.m. on Thursday. 

Division V

No. 4 Miramonte 7, No. 5 Oakland 4

Miramonte’s clutch sixth-inning rally powered the Matadors to a win at home. The Mats (19-8) trailed Oakland 4-3 before Avery Haynes got them started with a hit-by-pitch. 

Then Talia Hagan was also hit by a pitch. With one out, Gianna Granzella singled to left to tie the game. 

Maddie McKim walked to load the bases, then Abby Warren walked to force in a run and give Miramonte a 5-4 lead. The Matadors padded their advantage with a two-run single by Lucy Daoust. 

Warren closed the game out in the top of the seventh with a scoreless frame. She finished with two earned runs allowed on six hits across the full seven innings with eight strikeouts. 

Miramonte advances to face top seed Biggs in the semifinals on Thursday. 

Teresa Echaniz and Janiya Williams each drove in a pair of runs for Oakland, whose season finishes with a record of 10-5.