Several area baseball, softball teams looking to reach section finals this week
May 23—It's been an amazing spring season for Kern County baseball and softball teams. Of the 12 Central Section divisions, area schools could be represented in 10 of the championship games this weekend.
And while that level of success may be unlikely, it's a lock that at least two local teams will be playing. In Division I baseball, the winner of No. 6 Liberty and No.2 Stockdale are assured of playing, with No. 8 Frontier trying to join them in D-I final, and can, with a win at No. 5 Santa Maria-Righetti on Tuesday.
No. 5 Ridgeview (Division II) and No. 1 Kennedy (D-V) are playing at home and favored to also reach their respective title games.
In softball play, either No. 6 Garces or No. 2 Wasco will play for the D-III title. They play each other in Wednesday's semifinals. No. 4 Arvin (D-VI) is also playing at home.
Here's a quick look who's playing in this semifinals the next two days:
Baseball
Division I
No. 6 Liberty (20-9-1) at No. 2 Stockdale, 4:30 p.m. Tuesday
The Mustangs have won five of the last six Southwest Yosemite League titles and rallied to beat No. 7 Fresno-San Joaquin Memorial 7-3 on Thursday to reach the semifinals. The Patriots finished second in the SWYL, advancing to the semifinals with a 9-2 upset victory at No. 3 Fresno-Bullard. Liberty reached its first Division I final last year and are looking for its first D-I baseball title. Stockdale won 2 of 3 in the season series, with the Patriots handing the Mustangs their lone loss in SWYL play, 3-1 at Stockdale on May 3. Stockdale is trying for its first championship since 2018.
Stockdale coach Brad Showers said, "(Today's) game is great for high school baseball in Bakersfield ... Bakersfield has three of four schools in D-I. All I want is for our team to play well ... if we play good defense and execute pitches, we are a good high school baseball team. The same goes for Liberty. It's going to come down to who makes the least amount of mistakes."
No. 8 Frontier (17-12) at No. 5 Santa Maria-Righetti (24-5), 4:30 p.m. Tuesday
The Titans, which finished third in the SWYL, are coming off perhaps their biggest victory in program history, knocking off top-seeded and nationally-ranked Clovis Buchanan 17-11 last week. The victory was Frontier's first in the playoffs since defeating Righetti 2-1 in 11 innings in 2019, which catapulted the team to the D-I final. The Warriors, the Mountain League champions, also posted an upset victory, winning 4-3 at No. 4 Clovis West to reach their second semifinal in three years.
Division II
No. 9 Fresno-Central (14-15-1) at No. 5 Ridgeview (27-3), 4 p.m. Tuesday
The Wolf Pack has built on the momentum generated last year when it captured the Central Section Division III and Southern California Regional Division-IV championships. Ridgeview overcame one of its biggest hurdles on Thursday when it outlasted Bakersfield Christian for a 13-12 victory to even the season series. The Eagles took 2 of 3 from the Wolf Pack en route to winning the South Yosemite League title, but Ridgeview is moving on after ending BCHS's season. The Grizzlies finished fifth in the powerful Tri-River Athletic Conference, which featured four teams in the sections top-15. But Central has found new life in the postseason, surviving an eight-inning battle against No. 8 Reedley for a 2-1 victory on the road and then defeating No. 16 Santa Maria-St. Joseph, that had just handed top-seeded Kerman its only loss of the season just 48 hours before.
Division III
No. 13 Bakersfield (9-18-3) at No. 1 Kingsburg (24-5-1), 4:30 p.m. Tuesday
The Drillers struggled to a 3-12 record in the tough SWYL, but followed up a regular season-ending victory over Liberty with two upset wins on the road, first at No. 4 Taft and then against No. 5 Porterville-Monache. BHS must now face the top-seeded Vikings to keep its magical late-season run alive. Kingsburg won the Central Sequoia League and has won nine of its last 10 games. The Vikings edged No. 16 Fresno Edison 5-4 in the playoff opener and then defeated No. 8 Porterville 8-3 on Thursday.
Bakersfield coach Mario Garza said, "The key to our success will be our pitching and our will to compete. Our team is battle-tested and last week proved we play in the toughest league in the Central Valley. With that being said, we are playing a really good Kingsburg baseball team. We are grateful to have the opportunity to represent our school and city in the D-III semis."
Division IV
No. 15 Garces (8-22) at No. No. 14 Lemoore (12-18), 4:30 p.m. Tuesday
The Rams benefitted from playing in the SWYL, a league that has five teams in the Central Section semifinals. Garces opened the postseason with an 8-2 upset victory at No. 2 Bishop Union and followed it up with a 6-5 victory under the lights at No. 10 Wasco on Friday. The Rams will play on the road again, only this time against another upset-minded team. The Tigers, who finished tied for fifth in the West Yosemite League, won at No. 3 Dos Palos, 13-12, and then knocked off No. 6 Fresno-Washington Union 7-3 on Thursday.
Division V
No. 4 Fowler (20-10) at No. 1 Kennedy (19-7), 4:30 p.m. Tuesday
The defending Division VI champion Thunderbirds finished fourth in the South Sequoia League, but have caught fire in the playoffs for the second straight season. Kennedy has not given up a run in the postseason since losing to Porterville-Summit Academy in 2019, outsourcing its last five playoff opponents 76-0. That scoreless streak includes a 16-0 win over No. 16 Fresno-Hoover and a 12-0 victory over No. 9 Mammoth Lakes-Mammoth. The Redcats, who finished second in the West Sequoia League, have also been tough to score upon, defeating No. 13 Strathmore 10-1 and then scratching out a 1-0 victory over No. 5 Tulare-Mission Oak.
Kennedy coach Jacob Fragoso said, "First off, I would like say how proud I am of this group of players. Moving up from D-VI where we were last year, and moving up to D-V playoffs, and being in the semifinals, is a testament of the hard work and dedication of this group of players. The key for (Tuesday) will be our bats and be smart on the base paths. We need to be able to manufacture runs with situational hitting."
Division VI
No. 4 Boron (14-8) at No. 1 Tollhouse-Sierra (11-18), 4:30 p.m. Tuesday
The Bobcats, who finished fourth in the High Desert League, have won five of their last six games to reach the semifinals. Boron beat No. 13 Trona 10-1 and then outlasted HDL rival Rosamond 7-6. Despite going 1-14 in the North Sequoia League this season, the Chieftains were selected as the top seed and are just one win away from playing for a section title. Sierra defeated No. 16 Laton 11-1 and then held off No. 8 Farmersville for an 8-7 victory on Thursday.
Softball
Division I
No. 8 Stockdale (20-9) at No. 4 Fresno-Central (18-9), 4:30 p.m. Wednesday
The Mustangs, who finished third in the SWYL this season, upset top-seeded Clovis North 4-2 on Friday to reach the semifinals for the first since winning the Division I championship in 2019. Stockdale must now face another TRAC team in the Grizzlies, who finished fourth in their league this season. Central lost to the Mustangs 3-2 in a tournament earlier this season, but hasn't allowed a run in its last two games, including a 6-0 victory over No. 5 Liberty, the SWYL co-champion.
Division III
No. 6 Garces (15-16) at No. 2 Wasco, 6 p.m. Wednesday
The Rams finished fifth in the SWYL this season, but gained a measure of confidence with a late-season victory over Stockdale. Garces defeated No. 11 Dinuba 11-5 in its playoff opener and then upset No. 3 Highland 4-3 on Friday. The Scots went undefeated to win the Southeast Yosemite League title this year and won the section D-V and SoCal regional D-IV championship last season. The Tigers have a 24-game winning streak heading into the semifinal-matchup, including a pair of dramatic eight-inning 5-4 victories over No. 15 Kerman and No. 7 Tulare Union. Wasco went undefeated in SSL play, capturing its first league title since sharing the 2017 crown with Taft.
Garces coach Kelly Olson said, "Both pitchers will be tough to beat. I believe the winning team is going to get a clutch hit at a crucial moment and be mistake free on defense. I'm proud of my girls. They have been tested time and again in close, one-run and extra-inning games all year. We held off a very good Highland team that had a vocal student section at their ball park last week. Our girls, led by Kami Perez, are tenacious competitors. We expect Wasco to be very tough and aggressive, and we look forward to the challenge."
Division V
No. 13 Fresno Christian at No. 1 Boron (21-1), 4:30 p.m. Wednesday
The top-seeded Bobcats take a 16-game winning streak into the semifinals. The HDL champion's only blemish came in a 16-1 loss to Acton-Vasquez, the Heritage League champ. Boron defeated No. 16 North and No. 8 Bishop Union to reach the semifinals. Boron will now host the East Sierra League champion Eagles. Fresno Christian upset No. 4 Reedley-Immanuel 3-2 in eight innings and then defeated No. 5 Woodlake by the same score on Friday.
Division VI
No. 9 Lindsay (12-13) at No. 4 Arvin (11-14), 4:30 p.m. Tuesday
The Bears snapped a 50-game losing streak with a 10-2 victory over West in their third game of the season and entered the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Arvin, which finished fifth in the SSL this year, has dominated play in its first two playoff games, defeating No. 13 Mojave and No. 12 Porterville-Summit Charter by a combined 36-1. The Cardinals finished third in the East Sequoia League and posted wins over No. 8 Reedley-Immanuel (4-0) and No. 16 Farmersville (12-6).
