Central Catholic unable to overcome Dixon run in D-IV section title game
Sometimes in softball, you can do everything right — hit the ball hard, field every ground ball — and it still won’t be enough.
Slated as the No. 2 team in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV bracket, playing No. 1 Dixon in the section championship Saturday, the Raiders learned that lesson the hard way.
They were in position to win the game, taking a big lead in the early innings, committing fewer errors and putting a runner on base in the top of the seventh inning. Yet they fell to the Rams, 7-6, to finish section runners-up for the third straight year.
“That’s why I love this game: On any given day, anybody can win,” Central Catholic coach Sam Nichols said of the unpredictability of softball. “Our girls got a barrel and battled and didn’t quit.”
All season, the Raiders’ (20-8) offense has produced some big innings, and Saturday was no different. They scored once in the top of the first inning after Samantha Nichols doubled and Jazmarie Roberts drove her in with a triple. They added four runs in the second. Emori Machado was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, Emry Couch singled and Ceriah Fitzhugh, Taryn Calderon, Miranda Temple and Nichols all drove in runs as the Raiders jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead. Calderon drove in her second run of the game in the top of the third, tripling home Carsyn Lomeli-Garcia to put the Raiders ahead 6-0.
The Raiders’ offense was held scoreless for the rest of the game and Dixon’s (20-4) offense came to life. They scored their first run in the bottom of the third on an Audrey Graham home run and added six more runs in the bottom of the fourth, taking the lead for good, powered by a pair of two-run home runs.
“We started off very well, getting a barrel, but their pitcher did a great job making adjustments,” Nichols said of the Raiders’ offense. “She started mixing it up and changing speeds, so my cap’s off to her, and they made plays when they had to. We hit the ball hard all day and (Dixon) just made plays. I’m proud of our team, there’s nothing else we could have done.”
Central Catholic played in its third straight section title game Saturday. The school reached the final in 2022 and 2023, losing to Vista del Lago and Ponderosa, respectively, in Division III. Last season, the Raiders made up for their section title loss to Ponderosa by beating it in the NorCal final for the program’s first ever NorCal regional title. The Raiders’ only section championship came in 1995, when they beat Mother Lode Christian for the D-IV title.
The Raiders’ three seniors, Temple, Machado and Mya Robles, saw their seasons come to an end. Despite making the section title game in Division IV, they did not qualify for the Northern California regional playoffs. Just the section champion in Divisions IV through VII advance. The three seniors had few words to describe their feelings.
“Just tears,” Nichols said. “They were disappointed. … We fought all season. Our seniors are great for their leadership and hard work this season.”
Next season, they return all but two players from their starting lineup, including five of their six leaders in batting average, as well as their leaders in hits, RBI, doubles, triples and home runs. Starting pitcher Stephanie Garcia, who stepped into a big role going 13-1 as a freshman this year, has three more varsity seasons to look forward to. Garcia struck out three batters in 3.2 innings Saturday.
“The future’s bright,” Nichols said. “We’ve got a bunch of girls and they can play, they’re competitive. They’ll play very competitive travel seasons, plus in the fall we’ll get back in the weight room, get better, faster, stronger and we’ll be back competing again.”
