No. 1 seed Mission Prep softball takes down SLO High 7-0 in first round of CIF playoffs
For the past two seasons, Mission Prep has been runner-up in the CIF Championship.
“They don’t want to go home on a losing note again,” head coach Johnnie Martinez said.
The Royals (12-8-1, 8-3-1 Sunset) came out strong in the first round of the CIF Division IV playoffs against crosstown rival San Luis Obispo (11-15, 10-5 Ocean), defeating the Tigers 7-0 on their home field at Cuesta College.
The Royals came in as the No. 1 seed while the Tigers were the No. 16 seed.
The Tigers were up to bat first and Caitlin Shaw reached first base on an error. On a second error, Shaw made it to third base, but the Tigers couldn’t capitalize.
Both teams couldn’t score for three innings until the Royals’ Mikaylee Gordon cleared the bases with a grand slam over the fence in right field in the bottom of the third to put the Royals up 4-0. Another run in the fourth off a hit from Rose Guerra built a 5-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, pitcher Roxanne Guerra hit a home run with a runner on base.
Roxanne Guerra pitched the full game. Her fast and powerful throws held the Tigers scoreless. A few runners made it to third, mostly on errors, but Guerra was able to strand them.
The Royals are led by a core of senior players, according to Martinez. Roxanne Guerra, Alyssa Martinez, Brooklyn Neenan, Savannah Ruelas and Rylinn MacDonald were a part of the Royals team that won the Division XI CIF Championship.
“Our seniors have been the anchor since their freshman year,” Martinez said. “From that point on, they’ve just been showing everybody, you stick together and make your adjustments throughout every season and you can compete with anybody.”
The Tigers, on the other hand, are a young team looking to gain postseason experience.
According to head coach Pete Emmel, the Tigers at one point played a lineup of seven freshmen, a sophomore and a junior.
“They’re going to be a force in the future,” Emmel said. “They’re going to be good. They work hard.”
The Tigers held their own until Gordon’s grand slam opened the game up.
“We made a couple of unforced errors when we should’ve been out of the inning and just let them hang around,” Emmel said. He pointed out that’s been a trend for the young Tigers team.
For the Royals, they “don’t want to accept anything less than a championship.”
“We lose, we’re done and that’s not our goal,” Martinez said.
The Royals will continue to chase their championship at home against Shafter on Friday at 4:30 p.m.
