The San Diego Section held its inaugural girls softball allstar game June 8 at UC San Diego. It was an event that was in the making for some time, and the time proved right this year.
The format was similar to the existing baseball all-star game sponsored by the Padres. That is, East versus West in a nine inning game, plus a pregame home run derby.
Grossmont Conference student- athletes comprised a chunk of the rosters with participation from Santana, Steele Canyon, Valhalla, El Capitan, Granite Hills and Helix high schools on the East team squad.
Overall, six East County student- athletes were selected to play in the inaugural game.
The event was well received and hotly contested with the West team winning by a narrow score of 7-6.
Locals on the East roster included Santana senior Taylinn Warren, Steele Canyon senior Jazmin Williams, Valhalla senior Cadyn Ruffner, El Capitan senior Ava Gall, Granite Hills senior Jenna Haynal and Helix Charter senior Angel Riggins.
Williams hit 0.596 for the Lady Cougars (17-13, 3-5 in league) with 39 runs scored, 45 RBI, 21 doubles, five triples and 11 home runs. She also led the team with 11 stolen bases.
Gall paced the Grossmont Hills League champion Lady Vaqueros (26-6, 8-0 in league) with a 0.535 hitting average to go with 26 runs scored, 35 RBI, 10 doubles and eight home runs.
Warren, a co-captain, batted 0.451 with 28 runs scored, 11 doubles, three triples and one home run for the Lady Sultans (21-9-1, 4-4 in league). She turned in a monster performance in the team’s Santee Mayors Cup clash against crosstown rival West Hills on April 14 with four RBI on three hits in a 15-2 non-league win.
The Mayors Cup victory was the sixth consecutive (and seventh of eight) for Santana in the series.
Ruffner led the Grossmont Valley League co-champion Lady Norsemen (18-12-1, 9-1 in league) with a 0.432 hitting average to go with 40 runs scored, 23 RBI, 10 doubles, lone triple and eight home runs. She co-led the team with 20 stolen bases.
Haynal batted 0.375 for Granite Hills (15-9, 4-4 in league) with five runs scored, three doubles and six RBI.
Riggins paced the Lady Highlanders (10-16-2, 1-7 in league) with a 0.358 hitting average to go with 19 runs scored, 19 RBI, seven doubles, four triples and three home runs.
A total of 47 players (24 on the West team and 23 on the East team) were chosen for the game — all seniors.
Rancho Bernardo’s Audree Mendoza won the home run derby while La Jolla’s Emma Cardenas delivered the gamewinning RBI in the ninth inning to cap a wild comeback by the West team, which had trailed, 5-0, early in the game.
Going the distance
Grossmont Hills League champion El Capitan received the No. 3 seed in this year’s Open Division playoffs but lost its opening game in the double- elimination bracket, 3-1, to sixth-seeded Torrey Pines. Granite Hills received the No. 7 seed in the Open Division and lost its opening game, 2-0, to second-seeded Rancho Bernardo. That set up an elimination game between El Capitan and Granite Hills in thirdround play.
The Lady Vaqs won, 6-3, to draw a rematch against Torrey Pines in the fourth round. El Capitan made it two-for-two in elimination play with an intrepid 5-3 victory.
Gall drove in the only run for El Capitan in the bracket opener but junior Alanna Christeans racked up three RBI, including a home run, and classmate Aubrey Thorne had two RBI in the rematch against the Lady Falcons (20-9). Freshman Makenna Burton posted a complete game three-hitter in the pitching circle for the winners.
El Capitan advanced to meet Rancho Bernardo in the division semifinals, losing a 5-4 decision in begrudging fashion to suffer elimination from the tournament.
Despite the loss, El Capitan was reserved a spot in the Southern California Division II regional playoffs by being in the Open Division. The thirdseeded Lady Vaqueros earned a forfeit win against sixth-seeded La Palma Kennedy in the opening quarterfinal round and bested second-seeded Capistrano Valley, 5-1, in the semifinals.
Freshman Kylee Frazier and sophomore Reese Danzack both had two RBI to lead El Cap past Capo Valley. Junior Shelby Vars scattered seven hits in the complete game victory.
The Lady Vaqs season ended with a 5-0 loss to fifth-seeded Corona Santiago (18-15-2) in the championship game as senior Emily Delgado stifled the Grossmont Hills League champions on a one-hitter.
Santana received the No. 1 seed in the Division II playoffs and promptly lost to eighthseeded Westview, 6-3, in the opening round of double-elimination play on May 17. That dropped the Lady Sultans to an earlier than expected elimination game against reigning Grossmont Valley League co championship Valhalla in second- round play on May 19.
The fifth-seeded Lady Norsemen had defeated 12th-seeded Scripps Ranch, 10-0, in the opening single-elimination round on May 16 to gain entry into the double-elimination tournament. But Valhalla could not maintain its momentum following a 2-0 loss to fourthseeded Clairemont in the opening round of double-elimination play.
Santana remained alive in the pursuit of a CIF title with a 9-5 victory as junior Aurelia Dawson collected three RBI and Warren and sophomore Delaney Smith each drove in two runs.
Westview subsequently defeated Clairemont, 6-2, to set up a rematch between the Lady Sultans and the Lady Chieftains. Santana won, 4-1, behind two RBI from sophomore Emma Schneider to set up a rematch against Westview. The Lady Sultans got a reprieve with a 10-0 win to force an elimination game against the Lady Wolverines.
