To win a Southern Section Division 1 softball championship this season, a team is going to have to figure out how to topple JSerra pitcher Liliana Escobar. It’s not easy.
She pitched the Lions into the Division 1 semifinals on Wednesday with a 1-0 win over Gardena Grove Pacifica. She struck out 10 and walked none. A home run in the first inning by Annabel Raftery was the only run of the game. JSerra will play No. 2-seeded Norco in the semifinals.
Norco 8, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 0: Savannah Gonzalez hit two home runs and Peyton May threw a three-hit shutout with seven strikeouts to lead the Cougars. Notre Dame, the Mission League champions, finish 23-4.
La Habra 11, Orange Lutheran 8: The surprising Highlanders, who knocked off top-seeded Murrieta Mesa earlier, have now eliminated Trinity League champion Orange Lutheran in the Division 1 quarterfinals. Georgia Rickenbacker, Angelina Renteria, Danielle Sanchez and Rylee Gruener hit home runs to lead a 13-hit attack. Cate Medvitz, Rylee Silva and Carlie Snyder hit home runs for Orange Lutheran.