Half of the scheduled Open Division quarterfinal softball games in the Central Coast Section were postponed on Saturday due to rain, but two teams glad to get their games in were Saint Francis and Carlmont, as both advanced to the semifinals.
Saint Francis scored six times in the bottom of the fifth inning, which was plenty of run support for pitcher Lauren Baker, as the Lancers downed Santa Teresa, 9-2. The game was tied at one headed to the bottom of the fifth, but Hannah Damore untied it in a hurry, with a solo home run to lead off the inning. Jessica Oakland and Hailey Prahm each singled with one out, but the big rally really started after the second out of the inning.
Sydney Stewart singled to score Oakland for a 3-1 lead, and Kennedy Adkison followed with another single to score both Prahm and courtesy runner Claire Turner. Two batters later, Alexandra Attard doubled to drive in both Adkison and Andrea Delfino, who had been hit by a pitch. That made the score 7-1 headed to the sixth inning.
Adele Braun cut the lead to 7-2 with her solo home run to lead off the top of the sixth for Santa Teresa, but Prahm responded with a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth for the Lancers. Prahm finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs.
Baker earned the win for the Lancers, strking out seven in five and two-thirds innings, while Jordan Schuring slammed the door with one and one-third innings of one-hit relief.
Saint Francis will play either Silver Creek or Notre Dame-Salinas, in a game that was postponed to Monday afternoon.
Carlmont, meanwhile, had to work a bit harder for its 5-3 win over Mountain View. Ashley Trierweiler's ground ball to first base with two outs in the top of the eighth resulted in an error, allowing Gabby Lee to score all the way from second base. One batter later, Samantha Chu doubled to drive in Trierweiler for the final run of the game.
Carlmont had led 3-0 going into the bottom of the fifth, but a two-run home run by Lauren Dove and a solo shot from Ilona Sullivan tied things. Sullivan went 4-for-4 in the game for the Spartans, while Dove added a pair of hits.
Trierweiler was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored for the Scots, helping make a winner of Sanni Karhiaho, who went the distance in the circle for Carlmont. The Scots will face either Mitty or Presentation in the semifinals, with that quarterfinal game now scheduled for Tuesday.
