Murrieta Mesa softball team cruises past Del Norte, claims CIF State Division I regional title
Lilly Hauser tossed a four-hitter with 14 strikeouts, while Paige Bambarger and Madison Beohm combined to drive in five runs for the Rams. Murrieta Mesa's softball team won the CIF State Division I regional championship, defeating San Diego Del Norte 8-2. The Rams are the second Riverside County team to win a regional championship since the format was introduced in 2021. Lilly Hauser, who pitched a four-hitter and 14 strikeouts, led the team's offensive, scoring five runs over the first two innings. The victory marks a significant achievement for the team, which had to overcome challenges such as finding enough players to play in each of the three CIF state regional playoff games.
发表 : 11 个月前 经过 Eric-Paul Johnson 在 Sports Travel
MURRIETA — The Murrieta Mesa softball team conquered every challenge placed in its path this week.
And one of the biggest was finding enough players who could play in each of the three CIF State regional playoff games.
Saturday afternoon, the Rams once again put the pieces together and completed the final puzzle of the season.
Lilly Hauser worked through a few issues with her command to toss a four-hitter and record 14 strikeouts. Paige Bambarger and Madison Beohm led the offense, knocking in a combined five runs over the first two innings as Murrieta Mesa cruised to an 8-2 win over San Diego Del Norte in the Division I regional championship game.
Murrieta Mesa is just the second Riverside County softball team to capture a regional championship since the format was introduced in 2021. Santiago defeated Lakeside El Capitan in last season’s Division II title game.
“I did not even know if we were going to be able to field a team today. But we did, and we came to play and win,” Rams coach Antonio Romero said. “We originally weren’t going to play in the regionals, so a lot of the girls had already made plans with graduation parties and things like that. We did it with a few bandages and some super glue, but they got the job done this week.”
The biggest piece of the puzzle this week was Hauser, who improved her record to 23-1 with three wins inside the circle. Hauser pitched 21 innings over five days, allowing four earned runs and 10 hits while registering 37 strikeouts.
“When you have a horse in the circle, you have a chance to beat anybody,” Romero said of his sophomore ace.
Murrieta Mesa (28-4) wasted little time grabbing the lead. Kenzie Farrier led off the bottom of the first inning with a single and moved to second on an error on the play. Victoria Prado walked, and Bambarger put the Rams on the board with a single down the left-field line that scored Farrier. Two batters later, Beohm smacked a double over the head of the right fielder to bring home Prado and Bambarger.
Dani Rodriguez led off Murrieta Mesa’s half of the second inning with a single and later scored on an error. Del Norte made a change in the circle after the Rams loaded the bases with no outs, and Bambarger lined the first offering from Brooklyn Giame into the gap in right-center field for a double that plated two more runs.
Del Norte broke through in the third inning when Jessica Phelps singled up the middle to score Alexis Kyles. The Nighthawks (25-7) had the bases loaded with two outs, but Hauser snared a line drive off the bat of Julia Montemayor to end the threat.
Hauser issued three of her four walks in that inning but limited the damage to one run. Hauser plunked three consecutive hitters with one out in the fifth inning, but she escaped unscathed after getting a pop-up and a ground out.
“I just really trust my mom (Wendy). She’s our pitching coach and calls pitches for me,” Hauser said. “And I know my defense is going to have my back. I just had to get refocused… And I do well with bases loaded for some reason.”
Hauser allowed a solo homer to Lainey Llamas in the seventh, but Hauser got her 14th strikeout to end the game.
“It’s been a bit of emotional rollercoaster for everyone these past couple of weeks,” Hauser said. “We’re not playing, then we are playing. I’m really happy we got this opportunity. It was a lot of fun to be part of.”
Farrier had a strong day at the plate, reaching base in all four plate appearances while scoring two runs.
“We had to use everything we had to get the job done this week,” Farrier said. “We didn’t play scared this week. We just played the way we know we can and trusted one another. I think was a good experience for everyone.”
话题: Softball, Cruise Lines