The West Alameda County Conference concluded its annual softball playoffs on Thursday, with both Bishop O'Dowd and Mt. Eden continuing strong seasons by earning league tournament titles.
Bishop O'Dowd had by far the bigger test in the Foothill Division title game, facing a Castro Valley team which could be among the top five seeds in the NCS Division I playoff bracket. O'Dowd pitcher Elizabeth Avery and Castro Valley pitcher Courtney Rose largely matched each other's performances, with the exception of the bottom of the fifth inning, when Cal commit Nicole Hammoude drove in Avery and sophomore Arin Lau with her only hit of the game. Those two runs proved to be all that either pitcher would allow in a 2-0 win for the Dragons.
Avery struck out 13 in the complete game effort and allowed just three hits, keeping the Trojans off the scoreboard in the complete game effort. Rose's performance was nearly as good, as she struck out eight over her six innings and allowed just four hits.
Mt. Eden, meanwhile, was dominant in the Shoreline Division title game, routing Encinal 12-0. Pitcher Elizabeth Phillips needed just 60 pitches to toss a one-hitter, as the Monarchs scored eight times in the bottom of the first inning and then cruised to the shortened five-inning, mercy rule victory. Christiana Gumataotao went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs, while Arianna Fernandez went 2-for-3 and scored three runs.
Both teams will discover their playoff seeding on Saturday. Despite being a league champion, Mt. Eden will likely receive a low seed in the Division I bracket, while O'Dowd will be among the favorites in Division II.
