In terms of storylines, Tuesday’s second round of CIF-SS softrball playoff action might provide the most intriguing collection of games this postseason.
Looking at Division 1, there will be a pair of matchups featuring county top-10 teams as No. 2 Los Alamitos hosts No. 6 Orange Lutheran, and No. 5 El Modena will look to stay hot when it travels to take on No. 10 Huntington Beach.
The Vanguards had perhaps the most impressive first-round win, overwhelming Mater Dei, 18-3, Thursday afternoon. Huntington Beach won a nail-biter against Cypress, 1-0, getting an RBI single from Kristina Inouye in the seventh inning to advance to today’s game.
“For us, we don’t want the girls going into a game without an understanding of what our opponent does,” Vanguards coach Steve Harrington said. “We want to develop some type of an identity for every team. So when we see this kid, we have an idea this is what she’s going try to do.”
In addition to the top-10 face-offs, Canyon will hit the road to take on Chino Hills and record-setting senior Tannon Snow. The Huskies senior has launched a state-record 28 home runs this season, and has leapfrogged Mission Viejo’s Alyssa Palomino as the state all-time leader with 60 for her career.
Pacifica will also be on the road today, looking to avenge a regular-season loss when it plays Valencia of Valencia. The Mariners and Vikings met in the Michelle Carew Classic in early April with Valencia grabbing a 5-4 victory in what was one of the tournament’s most entertaining games.
The Mariners had three runners thrown out at the plate in that outing, and went 14-1-1 from that point on.
MORE RECORDS FOR THE DIABLOS
Top-ranked Mission Viejo eased past Newbury Park, 12-0, in a first-round playoff game Thurssday, and added to its already impressive list of CIF-SS records.
Senior ace Taylor McQuillin won her 100th career game in the circle, tying Brittany Weil (Pacifica, 2002-05) for the most victories all-time in Southern Section history. The win also gave her 32 consecutive decisions dating back to last season, which tied a record set by Ocean View’s Jackie Oakley in 1986 and later equaled by Valencia of Valencia’s Jordan Taylor in 2007.
McQuillin will have an opportunity to break both marks Tuesday when she’ll get the start against Arroyo Grande.
Mission Viejo also tied the CIF-SS record for most home runs by a team in a season. The Diablos received home runs by Kayleen Shafer and Terra McGowan to tie the team mark at 42.
Contact the writer: kconnolly@ocregister.com
