Here is a brief look at the CCS Open Division softball semifinals:
No. 2 Hollister vs No. 3 Archbishop Mitty
Wednesday 6:30 pm
Hollister High School
How they got here: Hollister rode the pitching of freshman Sidney Esparza, who allowed just three hits and one run with 11 strikeouts in a 2-1 win over Valley Christian. Another freshman, Aalynah Davila, drove in the first run of the game with a pinch-hit double in the fifth and senior Madalyne Rodriguez won it with a base hit in the sixth to score senior Avery Chavez, who had singled and stole second.
Mitty scored three runs in the third and held on for a 4-3 win over Los Gatos. Senior Kyleigh Mace allowed just two hits and struck out seven for the complete-game win and sophomores Makayla Fikes and Gracie Giovacchini each had two hits and a home run while senior Olivia Anderson went 3-for-3.
Previous meetings: None.
Outlook: Esparza improved to 13-5 and lowered her ERA to 2.31 with the first-round gem for the Balers, who won the PCAL-Gabilan title. Mace has been dominant all season in the circle for the WCAL co-champ Monarchs, entering the semifinals with a 19-2 record and 0.86 ERA.
No. 1 Saint Francis vs No. 4 Willow Glen
Tuesday, 6:30 pm
Los Gatos High School
How they got here: Senior Alanna Clincy tossed a one-hit shutout with 15 strikeouts to lead Willow Glen to a 7-0 win over Palma. Clincy didn’t need much offensive support, but junior Maia Mendoza, junior Catalina Medina and sophomore Lyla Aguayo complied anyway with two RBIs apiece.
Saint Francis, which has been ranked No. 1 all season in the Prep2Prep CCS rankings, struggled for a 1-0 win over Salinas in nine innings. Sophomore Mercedes Coller went the distance, allowing just four hits and striking out 13. The lone run of the game came on a walkoff home run by junior Malianna Liongitau off of hard-luck losing pitcher Bella Machuca.
Previous meetings: Saint Francis defeated Willow Glen 5-0 on April 18.
Outlook: Saint Francis has lost just three games all season – all by one run – and comes in as the heavy favorite; Coller is 12-1 with a 1.20 ERA after the quarterfinal victory and shut down the Rams on two hits over six innings in the first meeting. Willow Glen, the undefeated BVAL-MH champs, has had two primary pitchers, with Clincy amassing a whopping 221 strikeouts over 104 1/3 innings. In the first meeting, freshman Kayla Valtscheff pitched against the Lancers, allowing five runs on nine hits over seven innings.
