5 local teams in Valley playoffs

Five area teams advance to tourneys

Four local baseball teams — Porterville, Lindsay, Strathmore and Summit Charter — and one softball team — Monache — advanced to the CIF Central Section playoffs.

Four local baseball teams — Porterville, Lindsay, Strathmore and Summit Charter — and one softball team — Monache — advanced to the CIF Central Section playoffs.

The defending Division II Valley champion Monache High School softball team won’t have the chance to defend their title after being moved up to Div. I. The Marauders (253) open the postseason tournament Wednesday at home as the six seed against 11th-seeded Frontier-bakersfield (16-15). First pitch at 4:30 p.m.

Monache comes in riding a seven-game win streak, including most recently a 27-0 win over rival Porterville that saw senior standout pitcher Chloe Rivas throw a perfect game to cap off a 10-0 run through the East Yosemite League.

Monache is in the bottom half of the Div. I bracket along with No. 2 seed Buchanan-clovis (24-4) and No. 3 seed Bullard-fresno (19-5). Clovis (27-2) was seeded No. 1 overall in the 14-team tourney.

With a win, the Marauders would travel Friday to face Bullard, who is expected to move on after dispatching a winless Clovis East squad on Wednesday.

Porterville High School baseball (18-8-1), like Monache softball, saw its playoff road get much tougher after being moved from Div. III to Div. II. A year ago, the top-seeded Panthers lost to third-seeded Highland-bakersfield in the Div. III Valley final.

Porterville drew the fifth seed this year in Div. III and with it a first-round bye in the 11team bracket, but will travel to No. 4 Fresno (21-4-1) for a quarterfinal game Thursday.

Awaiting the winner, is likely to be top-seeded San Joaquin Memorial-fresno (20-9), who awaits the winner of the No. 9 Bakersfield at No. 8 Hanford first-round matchup.

Porterville finished second with a 10-5 mark in the EYL, a game behind Tulare Western.

For the second straight year, Lindsay High School baseball was seeded second in Div. VI, but the Cardi-

nals are hoping to avoid last year’s disappointing loss to No. 7 Fresno Christian in the quarterfinals.

This year, LHS (1512) again will play at home as long they win. The Cardinals open Tuesday against No. 15 seed Summit Charter Collegiate Academy (13-12), which is making

its second straight trip to the Valley baseball playoffs.

Strathmore High School baseball (10-13) was seeded seventh and will host No. 10 Orosi (10-11) on Tuesday.

Rivals Strathmore and Lindsay could play Thursday for a spot in the semifinals on May 22.

Start times for the baseball games were not available prior to publication.