Softball set for Super Regionals

LOS ANGELES — Sixteen teams remain in the hunt for a CCCAA title after the regional round of the California Community College Athletic Association Softball Regionals. The CCCAA Softball Super Regionals will occur Friday and Saturday at the higher seeds' home sites. The eight winners of the Super Regional matchups will move on to the CCCAA Softball State Championship hosted at Mt. San Antonio College and Citrus College beginning on May 18.

Super Regional Matchups

North 
(Higher seed hosts)

No. 1 Sierra vs No. 8 Cosumnes River

The Wolverines looked the part as the No. 1 seed in the regional round with a pair of shutout wins, but they have bigger plans after finishing last season the state runners-up. To do so, the Big 8 Conference champions need to move past conference rivals No. 8 seed Cosumnes River who swept Feather River to advance to the Super Regionals. Sierra will have North Pitcher of the Year Amaya Sutton and All-State standout Eliana Enriquez pacing the Wolverines. The Hawks will be led by All-Northern selections Anjalina Dahdouh and Trinity Jordan. Sierra swept the three-game conference series versus Cosumnes River.

No. 5 San Joaquin Delta vs No. 13 Folsom Lake

Another all-Big 8 matchup pits the fifth-seeded Mustangs against the 13th-seeded Falcons. San Joaquin Delta swept the Central Valley Conference champions Fresno City in a pair of one-run games to advance. Folsom Lake is the lowest seed remaining in the tournament after upsetting fourth-seeded and the No. 6 team in the state Monterey Peninsula in three games. All-State utility player Alle Perea and All-Northern selection Caitlynn Campbell will lead the Mustangs, while the Falcons will look to All-Big 8 pitcher Isabella Savala. San Joaquin Delta owns the regular season series between the squads winning two out of three matchups. 

No. 3 West Valley vs No. 11 San Jose

It's an All-Coast Conference showdown between the third-seeded Vikings and 11th-seeded Jaguars. San Jose is looking for back-to-back State Championship appearances after rallying from a series-opening loss to upset Sacramento City. The Vikings have been firmly planted in the top-10 rankings for the second half of the season and swept Sequoias in dominating fashion. San Jose boasts a pair of All-State selections in outfielder Melissa Felix and pitcher Alaina Valdez who enters the game with 16 wins. The Jaguars will have to contend with West Valley's All-Northern pitcher Shelby White who comes in with a 1.66 ERA. West Valley won both games against San Jose this season.

No. 2 San Mateo vs No. 9 American River

The defending champion San Mateo Bulldogs continue their quest for back-to-back titles after two commanding wins over Santa Rosa in the regionals. The Bulldogs, champions from the Coast Conference, are the only team in the North with three All-State selections, utility player Vanessa Lang, outfielder Lafu Malepeai, and outfielder Hailey Meisenbach. Malepeai was named the Most Valuable Player at last year's State Championship. The Beavers battled in a pair of wins over Golden Valley Conference champions Butte in the regionals, holding off a three-run rally by the Roadrunners in the seventh inning of game two to earn a 4-3 win. They'll need big games from All-State infielder Bella Garcia and All-Northern outfielder Alexa Garcia. The Beavers are battle tested and, despite finishing seventh in the challenging Big 8 Conference, currently boast a 25-16 record and showed in the opening round they are ready for big games. San Mateo beat American River 6-1 in their only contest this year.

South 
(Higher seed hosts)

No. 1 Palomar vs No. 8 Santiago Canyon

The No. 1 seed in the South Region and the top-ranked team in the state looked the part in the regional round with 10-0 and 8-1 wins over Allan Hancock. The Pacific Coast Conference champions are 38-1 and led in the circle by South Pitcher of the Year India Caldwell, who has thrown two perfect games this year, including one in the playoff opener. They also have the South Player of the Year, Aaliyah Rivas, who added a home run in the 10-0 win. Santiago Canyon won't go quietly as they look to return to the State Championship for the second year in a row. The Hawks defeated No. 9 seed and Western State South Conference champions Antelope Valley in three games and are battle tested after finishing third in the tough Orange Empire Conference, which still has three teams advance to the Super Regionals. The Hawks will need a big game out of All-State selection Lindsey Marschall who's currently averaging .409 at the plate. The Comets have defeated Santiago Canyon twice this season.

No. 4 Cerritos vs No. 5 Fullerton

This may be the game of the week in the South Region. Cerritos, the runners-up in the South Coast Conference, ended the regular season on a nine-game win streak to surge to No. 10 in the 3CFCA State Rankings. The Falcons needed to score four runs over the final two innings of game three to defeat No. 13 seed LA Mission. They'll be led by All-Southern players Samantha Islas and Richere Ledu. The Hornets, who finished second in the Orange Empire Conference, have been ranked in the top 10 for most of the season. They had a bumpy April during a grueling stretch that included 19 games in 21 days but looked sharp in the Regional Round sweeping Canyons. All-State pitcher Allyson Fuentes and All-Southern selection Meah Almaraz will look to make a significant impact. Cerritos scored a 2-0 win over Fullerton earlier this season.

No. 3 Cypress vs No. 6 Ventura

Orange Empire Conference champions Cypress and Western State Conference North champions Ventura face off in this Super Regional. Cypress edged No. 14 Pasadena City in two one-run games to return to the Super Regionals. The Pirates lost their regional opener to No. 11 El Camino but responded with a 3-2 win in game two and clinched a Super Regional spot with a 13-0 victory in game three. Each team has two All-State players leading the way. Lauren Albrent and pitcher Ashlyn Flinchum lead Ventura, and the Chargers have shortstop Jaylene Duarte and one of the best two-way players in the state in pitcher and power hitter Emily Rush. Cypress won the lone matchup this season between the two schools 5-0.

No. 2 Mt. SAC vs No. 7 Bakersfield

This series is a rematch of last year's Super Regional when Mt. SAC beat Bakersfield in the third and deciding game to spoil the Renegades' chance of playing at home in the State Championships. This year Bakersfield can spoil the Mounties' chance of playing at home in the final round. South Coast Conference champions Mt. SAC swept No. 13 San Diego Mesa in the Regional round while the Renegades bounced back from a 6-5 opening loss to No. 10 Long Beach in a grueling 11-inning game and won the next two games 9-3 and 6-4. The Mounties are led by All-State players Janis Espinoza and Aleyna Urbina, and Bakersfield has All-State players Ryleigh Harrison and Shelbie Valencia. The Renegades beat Mt. SAC 8-7 on the opening day of the season.

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Anthony Avila, Sports Information Director, California Community College Fastpitch Coaches Association (3CFCA)