(Through Saturday, May 23)
(Previous ranking in parenthesis)
1. (1) PIONEER-SAN JOSE 28-0
After falling behind 2-0 in the first inning of the CIF Central Coast Section Division II quarterfinals the top seed and Cal-Hi Sports No. 2 ranked Mustangs got their bats rolling to post a 7-2 win over Westmont-Campbell on Saturday in front of the Prep2Prep Caravan at Sunnyvale Fremont. In the first game of what was a CCS D2 doubleheader with No. 8 Mitty it was a case of too much Holly Azevedo. The Cal-Hi Sports hot candidate for State Sophomore of the Year and early UCLA-commit survived a shaky first inning due to some fielding gaffes to toss a two-hitter with no earned runs, nine strikeouts and no walks. Out of 71 pitches Azevedo threw 61 strikes and topped out at around 65-mph on her hardest heater that surprisingly came in the late innings. With the win the Mustangs are a game away from a possible undefeated season and playing for a CCS title that potentially could be against Mitty in a re-match of last year’s game won 7-4 by Mitty. Although it’s not reflected in their record the Mustangs are into the title game on Saturday after an 8-0 blanking of cross-town Mt. Pleasant in a Tuesday semifinal victory at PAL Stadium in San Jose.
2. (2) AMADOR VALLEY-PLEASANTON 21-3
It took eight-innings against cross-town arch rival Foothill but the Dons prevailed to finish the regular season on an 11-game winning streak and 13-1 in the East Bay Athletic League. There was nowhere to move up here but in the Cal-Hi rankings the girls in purple moved up to No. 6 after a two-spot bump. After seven scoreless innings the visitors put a two-spot on the board in the top of the eighth and then held on to win 2-1 after giving up a run before freshman pitcher Danielle Williams retired the side. Amador Valley had already sewed up the EBAL title earlier in the week with a 4-1 victory over Monte Vista-Danville so finishing out strong when some teams have letdowns should be a positive sign for head coach Teresa Borchard going into the playoffs for the CIF North Coast Section Division I top seed. The Dons received a first round bye and open Friday against the College Park-Pleasant Hill and Dougherty Valley-San Ramon winner.
3. (4) ARCHBISHOP MITTY-SAN JOSE 25-3
Just like Amador Valley the Monarchs got a two-spot bump in the state rankings to move up to No. 8, but unlike the Dons the Monarchs move up here a spot and flip with Heritage. Last Saturday and in the second half of the double-header involving Pioneer in Sunnyvale, the Monarchs overcame a 2-0 first-inning deficit to post a 3-2 victory over Leigh-San Jose. A showdown with Pioneer is looking like it will be coming next Saturday in the CIFCCS D2 title game. Before then Mitty must beat Hillsdale-San Mateo on Wednesday at PAL.
4. (3) HERITAGE-BRENTWOOD 20-3
The Patriots dropped eight spots in the state ranking after a 7-2 loss to Freedom-Oakley but still stayed in front of Alhambra. The Freedom loss means the two are co-champions of the Bay Valley Athletic League. The Patriots still only have three losses, and own a win over Mitty at the Livermore Stampede, and in the CIFNCS D1 playoffs they still received the No. 2 seed, and it was obvious they would get that spot win or lose. They have to be penalized and can now be behind Mitty, but still get considerations based on their overall body of work and the seeding they were awarded. With the No. 2 seed comes a bye.
5. (5) ALHAMBRA-MARTINEZ 21-3
A shaky start that saw them lose to Livermore and then Alameda at the Queen of the Mountain Tournament cost the Bulldogs the top seed to up and down Livermore in the CIFNCS Division II playoffs. After a close heart-breaking 9-8 timed-out loss to Heritage at the Livermore Stampede the Bulldogs have put together a 13-game winning streak and moved up two spots this week to No. 18 and directly behind Heritage in the state rankings. Alhambra opens the playoffs on Wednesday with visiting Kennedy-Fremont.
6. (9) EAST UNION-MANTECA 27-2*
Last week we stated that unless the Lancers beat Pioneer-Woodland they could not move past some of the larger schools. Not only did they beat Pioneer to win a third CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division III title, they put a hurt on them in the double-elimination format with two lopsided wins, 12-1 and 17-3 after a 4-2 loss and then a 7-4 win over Vanden-Fairfield in the losers’ bracket. Oregon-bound Cherish Burks was 3-for-3 with four runs scored during the 12-1 win to force a deciding game and in that 17-3 championship game win she went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI. In the second game junior Deja Guzman had four RBIs on two doubles. East Union also has a win over SJS D2 champ Benicia and a win over CIF Central Section D1 champ Clovis so the girls from midway between Stockton and Modesto have now stamped themselves as the bona-fide No. 1 team from the Sac-Joaquin Section. They also broke into the Cal-Hi rankings after snagging the No. 20 and final spot.
7. (10) JAMES LOGAN-UNION CITY 21-2-1
Head coach and 2010 Cal-Hi Sports State Coach of the Year Teri Johnson got career win No. 600 in a 10-0 win last week versus visiting American-Fremont. Win No.601 came later in the week in a 12-1 victory over Kennedy-Fremont. The Colts received the CIFNCS D1 No. 3 seed and after a first round bye opens on Friday against the American-Fremont at Foothill-Pleasanton winner.
8. (11) CASTRO VALLEY 21-5
After finishing the West Alameda County League at 13-0 they won their 12th-straight in an 11-1 win over Encinal-Alameda in the league playoffs before getting upset 5-1 in the playoffs title game by a Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland team they had beaten twice in league play. The Trojans still garnered the No. 4 seed in the CIFNCS D1 playoffs. With the loss to O’Dowd not meaning much a head-to-head win over Pioneer-Woodland allowed Castro Valley to move up and just ahead of Pioneer. The Trojans have a first round bye and will face the San Leandro at Freedom winner at home on Friday.
9. (7) PIONEER-WOODLAND 26-4*
The quest for a third-straight CIFSJS D3 title and a spot in the state rankings came to an end in the two losses to East Union but it’s still a very solid season for head coach Linda Merrida and her girls. Senior Rylie Carlier and her 14 home runs and 52 RBIs plus s few other seniors are leaving but Merrida returns a ton of underclass talent so look for the Patriots to compete for a CIFSJS D3 crown again next year.
10. (13) BENICIA 28-4*
Despite winning a second-straight CIFSJS Division II title with a second and third win over Elk Grove, the Panthers have to fall behind some EBAL teams because they lost twice in the Livermore Stampede to EBAL Granada-Livermore and Monte Vista. They also have a loss to Pioneer-Woodland and fall in for now behind that team. Both Benicia and Pioneer can move up depending on what happens in the NCS playoffs. In the 8-2 final game victory over Elk Grove junior Shelby Thompson had the big bat after going 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBIs and a run scored. It was home run No. 10 for Thompson this season.
11. (12) FOOTHILL-PLEASANTON 17-7
The Dons finished second in the EBAL after closing out league with a 12-2 blowout of Livermore and an 8-inning 2-1 loss to arch-rival Amador Valley. Because Freedom-Oakley was a co-champion of the BVAL they got the No. 5 seed and Foothill received the No. 6 seed in the CIFNCS D1 playoffs. Like many of the NCS teams the Falcons jump some teams from the CIFSJS whose seasons are complete but could drop below them in the final rankings depending upon how they do in the playoffs.
12T. (14T) NEWARK MEMORIAL-NEWARK 19-5
The Cougars loss to American-Fremont is what has been holding them back and not so much the losses to Monte Vista and Foothill. The other losses are out of state. The two wins over James Logan and a perfect Mission Valley League season are big, but we still need to wait and see how good Logan is in Division I and how the CIFNCS D2 No. 3 seed stacks up against Livermore and Heritage.
12T. (14T) (14T) MONTE VISTA-DANVILLE 16-8
The Mustangs took a 4-1 loss to Amador Valley and finished up EBAL plat with a 13-8 win at arch-rival cross-town San Ramon Valley ton finish third in league. The reward was a No. 7 seed in the NCS D1 playoffs. We’re going to leave them tied and moving up with Newark Memorial going into a first round game on Wednesday with visiting Liberty-Brentwood.
14. (19) FREEDOM-OAKLEY 16-7
The Falcons have to get credit for their win over Heritage which gave them a BVAL co-title with the Patriots. They also have a win over Castro Valley. They flip side is they have some stinker losses at the Queen of the Mountain to Alameda and to Dougherty Valley-San Ramon in league. Still, those two teams are not as bad as some losses to teams both above and below them. For that reason the CIFNCS D1 fifth-seed gets to move up. They open on Wednesday with San Leandro.
15T. (6) ELK GROVE 28-4*
After coming from the losers’ bracket the CIFSJS D2 No. 2 seed Thundering Herd needed to win two games against top-seeded Benicia and it just didn’t happen in an 8-2 loss. Still, it was a great season for head coach Jeff Alexander and his girls who finish as the No. 4 team in the rankings from the Sac-Joaquin Section.
15T. (20) SHELDON-SACRAMENTO 24-7*
The CIFSJS Division I champions came out of the blue to some to win the title, but despite some stinker losses Cal-Hi Sports 2007 State Coach of the Year Mary Jo Truesdale got the No. 2 seed Huskies all the way through the playoffs in the winners bracket. One factor in moving them up and tied with an Elk Grove team that beat them this season is the girls had a nice win at the Michelle Carew Classic over an Etiwanda team that advanced to the second round of the CIF Southern Section D1 playoffs.
17. (21) LIVERMORE 15-9
18. (17) NOTRE DAME-SALINAS 23-5
19. (16) PETALUMA 23-3
20. (18) SAN BENITO-HOLLISTER 22-5
21. (24) CARLMONT-BELMONT 22-5
22. (8) WOODCREEK-ROSEVILLE 25-3-1*
23. (22) REDWOOD-LARKSPUR 24-2
24. (25T) WILCOX-SANTA CLARA 23-5
25T. (NR) MARIN CATHOLIC-KENTFIELD 21-3
25T. (NR) VACAVILLE 20-11*
DROPPED OUT (TO BUBBLE): PREVIOUS No. 23 MERCED 23-8, No. 25T UKIAH 21-5
ON THE BUBBLE
ALAMEDA 20-7
BELLA VISTA-FAIR OAKS 21-8-1*
BISHOP O’DOWD-OAKLAND 22-4
CARONDELET-CONCORD 12-12
CERES 22-9*
CLOVERDALE 19-4
CORDOVA-RANCHO CORDOVA 22-6*
DEL CAMPO-FAIR OAKS 21-10*
DEL NORTE-CRESCENT CITY 22-5
DOUGHERTY VALLEY 16-8
FORTUNA 22-4
HILLSDALE-SAN MATEO 20-8
HUGHSON 22-1*
LASSEN-SUSANVILLE 35-5*
MT. PLEASANT-SAN JOSE 17-9
PINOLE VALLEY 16-8
PONDEROSA-SHINGLE SPRINGS 23-5*
RIVER CITY-WEST SACRAMENTO 20-8*
RANCHO COTATE-ROHNERT PARK 20-6
ST. MARY’S-STOCKTON 25-6*
ST. PATRICK-ST. VINCENT-VALLEJO 21-5
SAN MARIN-NOVATO 14-7
SANTA CATALINA-MONTEREY 17-5
SCOTTS VALLEY 22-5
SUTTER 37-6-1*
TRACY 20-9
VALLEY CHRISTIAN-SAN JOSE 20-10
VANDEN-FAIRFIELD 23-9
VINTAGE-NAPA 22-8
