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Sutter smashes its way into first Sac-Joaquin Final: No. 1 Huskies will take on No. 3 Calaveras for D-V championship

jeff larson, appeal-democrat, marysville, calif.
·4 min read

May 17—Alexa Carino kicked off her junior postseason as a member of the Sutter Union High softball team last year with a pair of home runs and a total six runs batted in to aid the Huskies over Woodland Christian and into the semifinals of the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.

Carino and No. 1 and undefeated Sutter earned a second consecutive matchup with Woodland Christian in Thursday's SJS Division V Final Four, and Carino again smacked two homers and totaled seven RBI to help the Huskies win their 18th run-rule game of the year, 20-2 over the fourth-seeded Cardinals at Ruth Lowman Field on the campus of Sutter Union High School.

"I was seeing the ball really well today," Carino said. "Today I went with the mindset of driving (the ball) with (full) extension. I don't know if it was just a coincidence that it was the exact same team."

With the win Sutter (26-0) earned its first trip to the SJS final where it will take on No. 3 Calaveras (21-5-1) in the first matchup between the schools since March 2020 in what turned out to be the third-to-last game of the season due to a mandatory shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Sutter's current senior class, which runs nine deep, was in eighth grade the last time the Huskies took on Calaveras.

The RedHawks upset No. 2 Sonora, 10-0 on Thursday to move into the final. The team possesses a potent attack headlined by two everyday players hitting .500 or better and four at over .400 heading into the 4 p.m. scheduled matchup with Sutter at Cosumnes River College.

Freshman Emma Clark leads Calaveras with a .583 batting average, while fellow freshman Kamryn Thornburg is the team's top arm with a 20-3 mark in the circle and 1.49 ERA.

"I think we are more than ready for this. We went in with our goals of saying, 'We want to make it farther than what we did last year,'" Carino said. "We have been playing with each other since we were 8-years-old. It is nothing too nerve-racking, but I think we all want to end on a high note for our last year."

Carino was just one of a host of Sutter Huskies delivering the dynamite stick in Thursday's blowout of Woodland Christian (18-5). Megan O'Neal went 4-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI, while Guinaiyaa Ayuyu-Garcia and Grace Diaz each delivered scoring base hits in the bottom of the second during Sutter's four-run rally.

In the bottom of the third, Diaz drove home another run, while senior Olivia Bauer smacked a two-run double and Carino delivered two home runs during Sutter's 13-run onslaught that pushed the lead to 18-0 over Woodland Christian through three innings.

Carino's first homer came on the opening offering from sophomore reliever Maggie Wurzel.

"I got something inside, I don't know if it was a fastball or screwball, but my eyes got real big on that first pitch and I went all out for it," Carino said.

It was the banner day for the future Sacramento State product against the same team she hammered a year ago in the opening round of the section playoffs.

Sutter head coach Stefanie Danna said the offense, which put together its sixth 20-run performance on Thursday, is at or near the best she has ever coached.

"This is probably one of the top (teams)," Danna said. "I get asked this question all the time and it's so hard because each team brings something unique each year and they're all special in their own way ... but these girls can definitely come out and mash."

In the circle is Bauer, who simply pitched another five-inning complete-game, allowing one earned run on three hits and striking out seven. The Boise State Bronco next year comes in on Saturday at 22-0 with a .52 ERA.

As for Woodland Christian it heads into the offseason looking to continue to build up a young roster with seven freshmen and sophomores returning for 2025 when the Cardinals move into the D-VI Sierra Delta League (N) alongside Vacaville Christian, San Juan, Rio Vista, Mesa Verde, Lindhurst, Highlands and Golden Sierra.

Sutter softball will transition to the Division IV Golden Empire League (N) to compete against Woodland, Rio Linda, Natomas, El Camino, Dixon, Casa Roble and Capital Christian. Capital Christian, this year, is ranked fourth in the section by MaxPreps and is in the D-III Final Four where it will host Ponderosa at 4 p.m. Tuesday. Dixon is a D-IV semifinalist. The SJS finals in D-I through IV will compete at CRC and Sacramento State on May 25.

Northern California Regional playoffs open at home sites on May 28.

To purchase tickets ahead of today's final visit https://gofan.co/app/school/CIFSJS.