Congrats to San Dimas, but what's happening to area softball? The Saints are the only team standing and it's only the quarterfinals …
— Fred J. Robledo (@SGVNSports) May 23, 2014
CIF-Softball Playoffs
Today’s second round
Division 2
Moorpark 13, Los Altos 0
Division 3
La Serna 6, Bishop Amat 0
Division 5
San Dimas 11, Santa Ana Calvary Chapel 2
Citrus Valley 8, Sierra Vista 0
La Serna ends Bishop Amat’s season again: There was no payback for the Bishop Amat Lancers softball team against third-seed La Serna in the second round of the CIF-Southern Section Division 3 softball playoffs on Thursday.
La Serna Pitcher Jamie Wren and clutch hitting made sure of that with a 6-0 victory to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals against North Torrance, an 8-1 winner over Chaminade.
Bishop Amat was a big favorite to win the divisional crown a year ago, but La Serna knocked them out 3-2 in the second round.
La Serna also beat Amat 11-1 earlier in the year, and kept its foot on the gas.
“Last year they we were the ones who came to La Serna and we took it away from them,” La Serna co-head coach Mike Reed said. “We told the girls they’re going to want it back. We had to stay focused and stay on top of the game because they’re a hungry team and they’re a good team.”
Both teams were able to hit the ball and get runners in scoring position, but La Serna was able to cash in on its big opportunities.
After Bishop Amat stranded two runners in the first, La Serna made the pay.
With the bases loaded and two outs in the second inning, La Serna’s Raeanne Martinez blooped a single to right that scored Molly Bource and Liz Brautigam.
Taylor Becerra followed with a double to drive in two more to jump to a 4-0 lead.
“We just didn’t have the balls go our way today,” Amat coach Kristen Dedmon said. “Sometimes that’s just the way it goes. Sometimes you find the holes and sometimes you don’t. They got the big hits when they needed them and we struggled when we had runners in position to score.”
Danielle Garcielita’s single in the fourth drove in two more runs and that was more than enough cushion for Wren, who battled out of small jams in the fifth, sixth and seventh. She allowed two runners aboard in each, then shut Amat down got get out of it.
“That’s her, she’s been our ace all year long,” Reed said of his pitcher. “She and (catcher) Dana (De La Torre) do a great job calling the right pitches and they did again today.
“They’re a good team out there and our defense played well, that’s a big part of it too.”
La Serna improved to 26-3 while Amat finishes 18-10.
“We’re really determined and excited for this year,” Wren said. “Hopefully we can keep it going.”
