Southwest shuts out Otay Ranch, 3-0, in CIF opener
EL CENTRO — Upward mobility apparently suits the Southwest High softball team, as they defeated Otay Ranch High School in a CIF-San Diego Section Division II playoff game here, 3-0.
The Eagles entered Division II after winning the CIF-SDS Division III championship in 2018. They went into the contest as the No. 6 seed against the No. 11 Mustangs. The play-in victory allows them to advance to the double-elimination tourney, which picks up later today.
“I just think they were ready to play,” SHS head coach Stephanie Niebla said. “They’ve been hungry since we kind of fell short early on in the season. They’ve just been waiting for the success, and they’re right where they need to be.”
In their first encounter this season, Southwest lost, 2-0, to Otay Ranch during a tournament in March.
At the time, three Eagles were out with injuries, and the team was struggling to find its rhythm on defense.
“That’s why they (Otay) won,” Niebla said. “We just had a different team.”
In Tuesday’s game, the three previously injured Eagles — including senior starter Arianna Izaguirre — returned to the field. It Izaguirre was Izaguirre who got the scoring started with a run in the bottom of the first that held up until the fourth inning.
“I came in a little bit nervous, but it’s always those CIF butterflies,” the senior said.
Niebla explained that Izaguirre brings a “different dynamic” to the field.
“She’s a senior that’s been a starter since her freshmen year,” Niebla said. “She’s my lead-off hitter and my third basemen, so just having her back just brings whole different atmosphere to the game.”
In the fourth, Eagle freshman Leticia Beltran scored her team’s second run, after being driven in by teammate Melissa Flores.
Like her teammate Izaguirre, Flores admitted she was a bit nervous coming into the postseason game.
“I feel like we did really good,” Flores said. “We all worked together, we all grinded. I felt really proud.”
In the sixth inning, SHS’s Jaelyn Niebla scored from second base to give her team their third and final run of the game.
Izaguirre credited Tuesday’s win to the team’s star pitcher, senior Sadriena Rodriguez, who pitched all seven innings; team defense, and timely hitting.
“Our motivation really helped,” she said. “Our coach gave us speeches at practice, and we all grinded. We pushed for it.”
Large mounted signs showcasing all of the softball program’s accomplishments — including the years they won league, finished as CIF runner-up and, of course, their 2018 championship — were recently installed on a building that towers over the softball field.
Izaguirre saud this year’s team wants to add a new sign to the display indicating another championship. “We want it,” she said. “We want it bad.”
“I just hope we all work together really hard to get there and take it again,” Flores added.
The Eagles will continue their journey at 4 p.m. today as they travel to San Marcos to play Mission Hills High.