CIF softball roundup: Los Alamitos, Calvary Chapel advance to semifinals

Los Alamitos High School, after taking an early lead in its CIF Southe Section Division 1 softball quarterfinal matchup on Thursday, used smart pitching and good defense to dispatch visiting Vista Murrieta, 4-1. The Griffins (25-2) advance to their first semifinal since 2011, and they’ll be hosting Orange Lutheran on Tuesday afteoon.

The Broncos (18-8) put 14 ruers on base against Los Alamitos starter Ryan Denhart, but the junior ace stayed patient during long at bats and trusted the defense behind her. Third baseman Jade Loe and center fielder Jea Holcomb made great lunging plays to end iings with ruers in scoring position.

“It hasn’t been consistent, but it came up big in key situations today,” Los Alamitos coach Rob Weil said of his defense.

“We’ve been more focused and are trying to make aggressive mistakes,” Holcomb said of the defensive effort. “This is really exciting (to go to semifinals) and I’m so happy for this group that’s been together since we were sophomores. We really want it.”

Los Alamitos stole four bases and forced Vista Murrieta into three throwing errors in the first two iings that led to uneaed runs and a 3-0 lead. Los Alamitos pinch-hitter Lindsi Deis had the only RBI hit in the fourth iing as the two teams combined for seven errors in the game. Denhart struck out five, walked three and allowed seven hits while Broncos starter Shealy Ollison allowed five hits and struck out six.

-JJ Fiddler

ORANGE LUTHERAN 9, LAKEWOOD 6 >> A great season for the Moore League champion Lancers came to an end on the road in the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs. The Lancers had a late rally but it wasn’t enough to overcome Orange Lutheran’s big lead.

“When we were down I let our team know, ‘They’re up eight runs, so what?’” said Lakewood head coach Andy Miramontes. “We just went out there and competed and eaed some respect.”

Lakewood fell behind 9-1 after Orange Lutheran scored three in the fourth and four in the fifth iings. But Lakewood battled back, getting a pair of home runs from Stanford-bound Montana Dixon, and a seventh-iing rally that saw the Lancers score a pair of runs and then threaten to tie the game.

After singles from Alexis Weeks and Jaci Sanchez, and a walk to load the bases, Lakewood got an RBI fielder’s choice from Cal State Fullerton signee Ari Bus.

Karina Ibarra’s hard-hit grounder was then misplayed to score another run with two outs. Orange Lutheran pitcher Maddy Dwyer hit Dixon to load the bases before getting out of it.

Lakewood’s record (26-5) is the lowest loss total during Miramontes’ 12-year tenure with the Lancers.

-Mike Guardabascio

BURROUGHS 4, NORWALK 0 (9 INNINGS) >> A scoreless tie rolled into the ninth iing and both starting pitchers, Breaa Vasquez for the Lancers (15-10) and Presley Miraglia for the Indians (24-4), were still locked-in to quite the duel before Burroughs’ senior shortstop Kaitlin Okimoto delivered the first tally and eventual game-wier with a home run to center field.

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The Indians added three more runs in the iing, including a two-run triple by Alise Archuleta and punched their ticket to their first semifinal.

Vasquez had allowed just three hits through eight iings while striking out nine, but finished with four runs (three eaed) allowed, seven hits, 10 strikeouts and two walks while taking the loss.

It was a bit of the opposite for Miraglia (10 hits, eight strikeouts, one walk), who was a little shaky early on before finding her rhythm and ending up the wier with a shutout.

“It was a good pitching battle,” Norwalk coach Paula Gasporra said. “We knew coming in to the quarterfinals that it was going to be a good game and it was. We had a good season, we’re league champs and we improved from last year.”

Burroughs will face a tall task Tuesday afteoon when they take on top-seeded Grand Terrace, which has outscored its opponents 25-0 through three rounds.

-Daniel Van Hoosier

REDONDO UNION 5, GAHR 4 >> A four-run seventh iing propelled Redondo Union in the Division 3 quarterfinals.

The Gladiators scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to break a 1-1 tie and put them three outs away from the team’s second consecutive semifinal appearance, but the Sea Hawks came back in the next iing, taking the lead for good on a two-out, three-run home run from sophomore catcher Samantha Pech.

“(Pech) got a pitch that she liked and she made the most out of it,” said Gahr coach Shawn Quarles. “Sometimes it’s just one pitch.”

Gahr threatened in the seventh, putting ruers on first and second with nobody out.

Redondo Union starter Kathryn Ung buckled down and ended the game with a pair of pop outs — one on a bunt attempt — and her eighth strikeout.

-James Crabtree-Haigan

CALVARY CHAPEL 9, PASADENA POLY 8 (9 INNINGS) >> The Grizzlies are heading to the Division 6 semifinals after rallying on the road. They will face Paraclete on Thursday.

SIERRA CANYON 3, ST. ANTHONY 2 >> A dream season came to an end for the Saints as pitchers Alyssa Nunez and Caitlyn Rivera combined for a six-hitter to lead Sierra Canyon to to the program’s first Division 6 semifinal.

Now Sierra Canyon (21-10) will look to surpass expectations when it travels to second-seeded Savaa for Tuesday’s semifinal.

Sierra Canyon catcher Drew Samson had an RBI groundout in the first iing and homerun over the left-field fence in the third iing. She also singled and scored in the fifth iing to extend the lead.

Mercer-bound pitcher Angelica Ponce kept St. Anthony within striking distance, scattering seven hits with eighth strikeouts and three walks.

“We came a long way,” Ponce said. “We started the season with girls who couldn’t even throw the ball. To be here in the quarterfinals, it showed this team was gifted.”

St. Anthony’s Amanda McCalip had an RBI single in the first iing, and Angela Younger added an RBI groundout in the sixth iing for a St. Anthony squad that took pride in wiing the Santa Fe League title this season.

-Tony Ciniglio