Future looks bright for young Esperanza squad

Esperanza coach Ed Tunstall was proud of the way his team battled back after being down 8-0 before losing to top-seeded Simi Valley, 8-4, in the Division I quarterfinals on Monday at Esperanza High.

The bad news is the season is over for the Aztecs.

The good news is nine of the players, including six starters, that got into the game are underclassmen and will be back next season.

"We got all our pitchers coming back," Tunstall said. "We got a bunch of good hitters coming back. We have freshmen that are ready to play varsity next year. Freshmen that played this year that will be sophomores. I'm looking forward to next year already."

After a rocky regular season, Pacifica is one victory away from a third consecutive trip to the finals.

"The chemistry on this team is very good," Pacifica coach Kevin Cody said. "The kids always come out here and they are laughing and joking. When it comes down to putting their game face on, they do it. Today (against Lakewood) was a perfect indication of what they are all about. They showed their ability, their talent and their heart." …

Rain wreaked havoc on the CIF-SS softball playoffs the past five days, forcing many teams to postpone and reschedule games. Pacifica was able to get in its game against Lakewood on Thursday. It started to drizzle in the fourth inning and it was coming down pretty hard as Katie Tamayo was putting the finishing touches on a four-hit shutout in the bottom of the seventh.

"The rain is actually a big factor in softball," UCLA-bound outfielder Andrea Harrison of Pacifica said. "Other sports it's no big deal, but I personally love playing in the rain. For pitching, I knew that she (Tamayo) needed to slow down and just keep it composed and she pitched great." …

Empire League-champion Kennedy plays at Century League-champion El Modena in a Division II semifinal today at 3:15 p.m. The two teams haven't played since they met up in the Woodbridge Classic in 2006 when the Fighting Irish came away with a 4-0 victory. …

Ocean View plays Pomona Catholic in a Division IV semifinal today at 3:15 p.m. Pomona Catholic plays its home games at Palomares Park, which is located at 499 East Arrow Highway in Pomona. …

The CIF-SS championship games will be held on Friday and Saturday at Bill Barber Park in Irvine. The full schedule of the championship games will be updated on ocvarsity.com on Wednesday afternoon.

Contact the writer: carias@ocregister.com