Rosary will be put to the test

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Softball notes: Overviews of the second-round playoff games.

The CIF-SS softball playoffs are heating up with second-round matchups on Tuesday.

Here is a look at some can't-miss games (all start times are 3:15 p.m.):

DIVISION I

Rosary (21-9) at Thousand Oaks (24-5): The Royals take their 11-game winning streak on the road against the Lancers. It should be a good pitching duel between Rosary's junior ace Alex Peyton (14-7, 0.74 ERA) and Sonoma State-bound Brittany Reynolds (15-3, 0.84 ERA, 155 K) of Thousand Oaks.

Hart (24-4) of Newhall vs. Mater Dei (21-6) at Thornton Park: The Indians have quality victories over Los Alamitos, Agoura, Valencia of Valencia and Thousand Oaks. UCLA-bound Destiny Rodino (23-4, 0.40 ERA, 217 K) and Oklahoma-bound Jessica Shults (.494, 10 HR, 31 RBIs) are the two powerhouses for Hart. Freshman pitcher Miranda Tamayo (18-5, 2.23 ERA) has turned into a reliable starter for the Monarchs.

Trabuco Hills (18-11-1) at Simi Valley (27-0): The Pioneers are ranked No. 3 in the state by CalHiSports.com and are the No. 1 seed in Division I, but they haven't played the same kind of tough schedule as some of the other top teams in Southern California. They do own two victories over Thousand Oaks. Loyola Marymount-bound Sam Fisher (.486, 10 HR, 29 RBIs) is the Pioneers' top player. Sophomore Kayla Massey (14-6, 0.35 ERA, 215 K) is the kind of top-notch pitcher that gives the Mustangs a shot against any team in Division I.

DIVISION II

Ayala (20-10-1) of Chino Hills at No. 4 Mission Viejo (23-6-1): With victories over Kennedy, Santiago of Corona and Vista Murrieta, the Bulldogs are capable of going the distance and taking the title. Ayala's Nani St. Germain (.404, 9 HR, 29 RBIs) is a big-time power hitter and sophomore pitcher Jessica Hall (20-10, 0.94 ERA, 222 K) has proved herself in big-game situations. The Diablos have two star pitchers in Pacific-bound Michelle Tait (12-3, 0.77 ERA, 149 K) and Georgetown-bound MacKensey Carter (11-3, 0.34 ERA, 125 K).

Tesoro (16-8) at Pacifica (20-11): Fresh off their upset of Canyon in the first round, the Titans get the defending Division II champions on the road in the second round. Pacifica had an up-and-down regular season, but they remain a dangerous contender because of its high-powered offense, led by UCLA-bound Andrea Harrison, Arizona State-bound Christina Zambrana and Arizona-bound Kristen Arriola. Oregon-bound Sam Pappas, UCLA-bound Dani Yudin and Cal Poly SLO-bound Nicole Lund are Tesoro's top players.

DIVISION III

Cajon (21-6) of San Bernardino at Fullerton (22-7): The Cowboys have seven hitters batting .400 or better. That should present quite a challenge for Cal State Fullerton-bound pitcher Katey Laban (19-4, 0.21 ERA, 194 K). Sophomore Lindsey Rains is batting above .400 for the Indians.

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Contact the writer: carias@ocregister.com