Tribune Top Ten Softball Rankings
1. Chino Hills (13-3) –– The Huskies have not only won seven straight, they’re working on five straight shutouts. I don’t care what sport it is, Chino Hills is a sports factory.
2. Bishop Amat (11-3) — The Lancers impressed local coaches with their dominant showing in the Charter Oak tournament at Big League Dreams, beating La Serna 7-1 in the title game. They finish with league teams the rest of the way and might not lose another game. By the end of league, I’ll bet they’re ranked No. 1 in D-3.
3. St. Lucy’s (11-3) — I was ready to write some big compliments for the Regents, then they go and lose 4-1 to Pomona Catholic. Comparing scores, I don’t know if they’re good enough to beat Chino Hills, but I certainly think they’re good enough to beat South Hills, who they will host on Friday.
4. South Hills (11-3) – – So far losing pitcher Sydney La Follette has not affected their bottom line, but it might catch up with them eventually. Fortunately for the Huskies, they have the type of lineup that scores runs and will make a lot of pitchers look good, but it’s hard to win a league title that way.
5. Ayala (7-3 ) — Ayala’s is no. 8 in Division 3, giving the Sierra four teams ranked in the top ten. I’m as curious as everyone on how they will fare in the Sierra, but their most recent win, a 4-0 victory over Rowland, isn’t real convincing.
6. Duarte (9-2) — The Falcons are 4-0 in the Montview and No. 7 in Division 5. They took on Long Beach Wilson, No. 10 in Division 2 and lost 10-3 in the Whittier tournament. It’s was a huge step-up, but not an embarrassing result by any stretch. It’s too bad that Duarte doesn’t compete in any area tournaments in our parts, would love to see how they stack up.
7. Los Altos (8-4) –Conqs are already 2-0 in the Hacienda with a showdown at Bonita on Thursday. The winner of that game has the inside track toward the league title.
8. Charter Oak (8-4) –– Charter Oak has won three straight, but its problems have been the same problems over the last four or five years. They can swing the bat but give up too many runs to be consistent. Sure, they can beat anyone, but nothing’s changed really.
9. Glendora (5-4) — The Tartans didn’t play last week and are 1-2 in the Baseline. I miss the Tartans not competing in the Sierra where they should be.
10. Bonita (6-5) –Say this about Bonita, it has lost to solid teams like St. Lucy’s, Glendora, Charter Oak and South Hills, all teams ranked in our top ten. The Bearcats are what they’re, about the ninth or tenth best team in the area. But on paper, they should probably be better.
