Prep softball: Capital Christian, Oak Ridge, Whitney and Ponderosa win section titles
One senior.
That’s the grand total of graduates the upstart Capital Christian High School softball team has on its roster: Nani Lose-Mahina.
She is the team’s gritty catcher, a team leader and now a CIF Sac-Joaquin Section champion. With Lose-Mahina’s battermate Ayla Tuua striking out 13 and Tuua’s sister Alannah driving in two runs, the Cougars downed top-seeded and defending champion Dixon 4-3 to take the Division IV title Saturday afternoon at Cosumnes River College.
Lose-Mahina was earlier in the week named her school’s Athlete of the Year. She was part of the celebration mob scene on the diamond and into the parking lot as players sprayed apple cider.
The joy was warranted. Capital Christian overcame a slow start to the season in merging transfers, incoming freshmen and returners into a cohesive group. Though the Tuua sisters have provided significant pop at the plate this season, it took everyone to bring the school its first section softball crown.
Second-year coach Caitlyn Olan, a 2018 Bee All-Metro player from Oak Ridge High, excitedly told her group after the victory, “You did it!”
“From the jump, I thought this could be a really good team,” Olan told The Bee later. “These girls work so hard and they dedicate so much into school and softball. They made it happen.”
Said the senior leader, Lose-Mahina: “I’m just so proud.”
Capital Christian (16-5) took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning on an RBI base hit by Abby Rhee. Alannah Tuua’s RBI in the fifth pushed Capital Christian ahead 4-2, and Ayla Tuua was dominant in the pitching circle in moving to 6-0 as her remarkable freshman season continued.
Capital’s lineup also features freshman Maddi Woodcock, sophomore Savanna Newman and juniors Alannah Tuua, Kelsey Joiner, Hailey Alkire, Bree Johnson, Ella Magd and Rhee.
“We have something special here,” Olan said of her team. “We’ll only get better if they’re willing to keep working hard.”
Capital Christian (22-7) advances to the CIF Northern California D-IV regional tournament that runs Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Seeded third, the Cougars open at home against No. 6 Del Norte of of Crescent City (19-7).
Division I
Oak Ridge 3, Inderkum 2 — Maddy Ridge gave the third-seeded Trojans their section-record 10th softball championship and first in D-I with a walkoff in the bottom of the eighth inning in front of a full crowd at Sacramento State.
It was Oak Ridge’s first championship since four-peating in D-II from 2007-10. The Trojans (17-8) tied for second in the rugged SFL, won by D-II section champion Whitney.
Seeded fifth and co-champions of the Capital Valley Conference, Inderkum (22-8) was in its first title game and was coming off a 6-5 win over top-seeded Pleasant Grove in a semifinal. The Tigers forced extra innings when left fielder Mia Garcia threw out the winning-run attempt at home plate by Oak Ridge in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Oak Ridge is the No. 8 seed in the NorCal D-I bracket and opens at top-seeded Hillister.
Division II
Whitney 7, Vacaville 1 — Mya Flindt homered and drove in four runs to lead a 14-hit attack as the Wildcats halted the 29-game winning streak of the top-seeded Bulldogs to win the program’s second section banner since 2019.
Tylie Kitchen also homered for Whitney. Madilyn Novello had three hits and scored three runs. Brooklyn Steele had two hits.
Hannah Duncan allowed two hits and struck out 12 to lead Whitney, a battle-tested team out of the top league in section, the Sierra Foothill League. Vacaville ace Xochiti Atayde walked only one but had just three strikeouts after fanning 213 in 140 innings coming in.
“These girls have been solid all year,” Whitney coach Mike Mello said of the Wildcats. “We just had one 10-day stretch where we lost four SFL games. Other than that, we have played great ball and have gotten our confidence back.”
Whitney (21-7) is the No. 4 seed in the NorCal D-I bracket and opens at Mitty of San Jose.
Division III
Ponderosa 1, Central Catholic 0 — Freshman Ellie Escobar drove in the only run with a base hit in the second inning to score sister Brynn Escobar while Western Michigan-bound senior Ana Niles fired a three-hitter with one walk as the No. 2 Bruins held off the top seed to celebrate their first section championship since 1980.
Niles struck out just two, but she was again backed by a superb defense as Ponderosa (24-4-1) withstood the power of Central Catholic’s Cal-bound ace Randi Roelling. The senior allowed five hits, walked one and struck out 14, giving her 333 on the season in 157.2 innings.
The Bruins who had hits off Roelling were Ellie Escobar, Whitney Montoya, Molly McFarland, Brooklyn Nordquist and Niles. Niles is 14-3 in the circle. She said afterward: “Forever proud of this team and what we have accomplished. Definitely a ‘Why not us?’ moment. Not ready for this to end.”
Ponderosa is the No. 1 seed in the NoCal D-III bracket and opens at home against Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa. Central Catholic is the No. 2 seed and opens against Madera.
