CIF San Diego Section Softball Championships
When: Saturday
Where: UC San Diego Softball Field
Tickets: $17 for adults, $10 for students and seniors. Available on gofan.co
Division 4: (4) Canyon Crest Academy (17-13-1) vs. (3) Bishop’s (15-8-1), 1:30 p.m.
Preview: Canyon Crest Academy beat No. 1-seeded Sweetwater 12-1 and 16-6 the last two games in the playoffs. Four players are hitting .351 or higher, topped by senior Alexis McNamee, who is at .495 with 36 RBIs. Grace Yao is hitting .354 with 24 RBIs. Yao is tough in the circle, with a 3.12 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 98 2/3 innings. … Bishop’s is riding a five-game winning streak. The Knights score an average of 8 1/2 runs per game, with six players hitting .315 or higher. Leading the offense is senior Jayla Stafford, who is hitting .538 with 40 RBIs. Freshman Jessica Yao is hitting .425. Sydney Mafong is 8-4 with a 1.14 ERA. Both teams are looking for their first section championships.
Division 3: (7) Olympian (18-12-1) vs. (4) Southwest-El Centro (19-8-0), 4 p.m.
Preview: Olympian puts pressure on opposing pitchers, with six full-time players hitting .317 or higher. Senior Kailynn Robeson is the most dangerous hitter, batting .453 with 28 RBIs. Sophomore Alexandra Perez has remarkable control. In 132 1/3 innings she has walked just 15 batters while striking out 130. … Southwest earned its way into the title game by beating No. 1-seeded Canyon Hills 6-1 and 4-0 in the playoffs. Junior shortstop Kaydence Wiewel is hitting .433 with 38 RBIs, including nine doubles, a triple and 10 home runs. Three other players hit .315 or higher, including freshman pitcher Alexis Trujillo, who is at .424. Trujillo is 7-2 with a 2.47 ERA. … The teams met once this season, with Olympian winning 6-1. … Southwest owns one section title, winning Division 3 in 2018. Olympian has won two titles — Division 3 in 2015 and Division 2 in 2018.
Open Division: (3) Bonita Vista (24-6) vs. (1) Mater Dei Catholic (24-7), 7 p.m.
Preview: Bonita Vista earned its way into the championship game. After losing to two-time reigning Open champion Poway in the second round of the playoffs, the Barons battled back through the losers’ bracket and beat Poway twice, 6-0 and 7-1. … Mater Dei Catholic can mash, with seven players hitting .333 or higher. Sophomore Arri Romero is 21-4 in the circle with a 1.50 ERA. In 145 innings, she has walked just 15 while striking out 127. She can do it at the plate as well, hitting .439 with 31 RBIs. Sophomore catcher Charlize Masingale is hitting .387 with 28 RBIs. Analesse Garcia and Maya Matthies have 24 RBIs. Four players hit .326 or higher for Bonita. Ariana Magdaleno is hitting .452. Leah Letuli is hitting .326 with 26 RBIs. Natalie Gonzalez is 11-2 with a 1.37 ERA. Danica Aboytes is 9-4 with a 1.32 ERA. … The South Bay rivals met twice in the regular season, with Mater Dei Catholic winning 2-1 and Bonita winning the rematch 4-1. … Mater Dei Catholic has won eight section titles, most recently Division 1 in 2022. Bonita Vista has hung one section banner, Division 2 in 2012.
— DON NORCROSS
