Here is a brief look at the CCS Division 2 softball semifinals:
No. 6 Burlingame vs No. 7 Monterey
Tuesday 4:00 pm
Capuchino High School
How they got here: Burlingame had no trouble with local rival Mercy, winning 10-0 in five innings. Sophomore Brooke Arce allowed just two hits and struck out six for the win and also hit a home run and drove in three runs.
Monterey had a much tougher road to the semis, needing a run in the seventh to edge Homestead 3-2. Junior Jenna Deese drove in two runs and junior Nicole Seal struck out 13 and allowed just two unearned runs to earn the victory.
Previous meetings: None.
Outlook: Burlingame, the PAL-Ocean champs, is on a nine-game winning streak after starting 8-8. Arce comes into the semifinals with a 7-5 record and 1.95 ERA. Monterey, the fourth-place finisher in the PCAL-Gabilan, entered the playoffs on a two-game losing streak. Seal enters with a 13-7 record and 2.80 ERA.
No. 4 Soquel vs No. 8 Woodside
Wednesday 4:00 pm
Hollister High School
How they got here: Soquel routed Menlo-Atherton 10-3, powered by home runs by senior Eliza Stevens, freshman Sophia Kilby and freshman Kiyomi Dunlap, who went 4-for-4 with four RBIs.
Woodside knocked off Carmel, 4-2, breaking a sixth-inning tie with two runs in the sixth and another run in the seventh. Senior Elizabeth Severin had a two-run double to give the Wildcats the lead in the sixth and senior Hannah Walker went the distance in the circle, allowing just five hits and one run.
Previous meetings: None.
Outlook: Dunlap has been a standout for the SCCAL runner-up Knights, amassing a 17-4 record with a 1.40 ERA and just 74 hits allowed over 114 2/3 innings with 153 strikeouts. Woodside, which finished fifth in the PAL-Bay has been led by Walker, who is 10-7 with a 3.03 ERA.
