Mitty scratched out a run in the fifth inning and ace pitcher Kyleigh Mace did the rest to lead the Monarchs to a 1-0 win over Willow Glen in the CCS Open Division softball championship Saturday afternoon at West Valley College in Saratoga.
Junior Gianna Catalano hit a check-swing triple down the right-field line and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of sophomore Adelle Duncan for the game’s only run. Mace, a senior who is committed to BYU, threw a three-hit shutout with nine strikeouts to pick up the win for the Monarchs. Cal-bound senior Alanna Clincy took the hard-luck loss with six innings of two-hit ball and eight strikeouts.
Clincy had a masterful postseason, following up a one-hit shutout with 15 strikeouts in the opener against Palma with a strong outing against No. 1 Saint Francis, in which she allowed just two runs on four hits in a 4-2 win.
The Monarchs (26-3), who earned the No. 3 seed in the NorCal Division 1 playoffs, will host Whitney Tuesday. Willow Glen (22-7) continues its season as the No. 3 seed in the NorCal Division 2 playoffs and will host Central Catholic Tuesday. The other CCS Open semifinalists – Hollister and Saint Francis – will participate in the NorCal playoffs. Hollister is the No. 5 seed in Division 2 and will visit Vanden while Saint Francis earned the No. 4 seed in Division 1 and will host San Ramon Valley.
