Alvarez rode the hot pitching of junior Dani Amendola to capture the CCS Division 3 softball championship with a 1-0 win over Santa Teresa Saturday at West Valley College.
Amendola threw a two-hit shutout with no walks against Santa Teresa and freshman Amaris Perez drove in junior Lizbeth Ramirez with the game’s only run in the fifth inning. Santa Teresa senior pitcher Mariah Avalos went the distance, allowing just four hits and an unearned run to take the hard-luck loss.
It has been a dominant postseason for Amendola, who allowed just one hit and an unearned run in a 2-1 win over Notre Dame-Belmont in the first round. Amendola also struck out 10 and drove in the winning runs in the seventh inning with a two-run single. In the semifinal 10-0 win over San Mateo, Amendola was dominant yet again, striking out 12 and allowing just one hit in a six-inning, complete-game performance.
Alvarez will compete in the NorCal Division 4 playoffs on Thursday against the winner of the first-round matchup between Las Plumas and West Valley. The top-seeded Eagles will host the winner.
Santa Teresa’s season ends at 16-14. After finishing fifth in the BVAL-Mount Hamilton, Santa Teresa reached the CCS final with wins over league rival Leland and North Salinas. In the 10-0 win over North Salinas, Avalos allowed just two hits over five innings as the Saints scored in all five innings to put the game away.
