Lowdown on the biggest softball showdowns

Lowdown on the biggest softball showdowns

May 5, 2008 - 3:00 AM
OCVarsity.com

FILE PHOTO BY JOSHUA SUDOCK
El Modena pitcher Kylie Wagner fires off a heater during a game against Esperanza High. El Modena will be playing against Canyon on Thursday, May 8.

Here are five games with league championships on the line to check out this week:

Beckman (19-6, 5-1) at Laguna Hills (19-5, 6-0), Tuesday, 3:15 p.m.: The Hawks beat the Patriots, 9-3, in the first Pacific Coast League meeting. Beckman ace Jasmine Harrell was on a recruiting trip and missed the first game, but she will be available for the rematch.

Mater Dei (19-5, 5-1) vs. Rosary (19-9, 6-1) at Clark Park, Tuesday, 3:15 p.m.: The Royals are one of the hottest teams in the county with a nine-game winning streak, which includes a 6-1 victory over the Monarchs. This game will decide the Trinity League championship.

Esperanza (18-6-2, 7-1) at Los Alamitos (17-8, 7-1), Wednesday, 3:15 p.m.: The Aztecs rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh to win the first meeting. The Sunset League title is up for grabs in this one.

El Modena (19-8-1, 7-1) at Canyon (21-6, 7-1), Thursday, 3:15 p.m.: The Century League title and possibly the No. 4 seed in Division II are on the line in this matchup. Canyon beat El Modena, 2-0, in the first meeting.

El Toro (22-5-1, 8-0) at Trabuco Hills (16-10-1, 7-1), Thursday, 3:30 p.m.: The Chargers beat the Mustangs, 5-1, in the first meeting, but Trabuco Hills can gain a share of the Sea View League title with a victory in the rematch.

NOTES

Teams with a record of .500 or better can petition for an at-large berth into the CIF-SS playoffs. Division I is the only division with spots available for at-large teams. There are seven at-large berths up for grabs in Division I.

Foothill (13-13) and Huntington Beach (12-13) from the Sea View League, Marina (17-9) from the Sunset League and Orange Lutheran (17-12) from the Trinity League are the county teams in the hunt for at-large berths.

Moorpark (12-11), Westlake (12-12) and Newbury Park from the Marmonte League, Oxnard (15-10) and Pacifica (18-4) of Oxnard from the Pacific View League are among the non-county teams in the running for at-large berths. …

There are 13 leagues in Division II, which means 22 teams will be playing in wild-card games. There will be 13 third-place teams, four fourth-place teams and five second-place teams playing in wild-card games.

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Contact the writer: carias@ocregister.com