Millikan jumps out early, earns title game spot
CORONA >> The Millikan softball team used late rallies to pull out wins in its previous two playoff games.
The Rams were not in the mood for any more drama Saturday morning.
Millikan's offense had a fast start, and sophomore Ava Schaffel tossed a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts as the Rams cruised to a 7-2 victory over top-seeded Centennial in a Division 3 semifinal game.
Millikan advanced to the CIF Southern Section finals for the first time since claiming the Division 3 title in 2005.
The Rams (22-10) face No. 2 seed Mission Viejo (25-5) at Barber Park in Irvine on May 20 or 21.
“From the first inning, when we scored that run, we felt we had it,” Millikan junior shortstop Emily Hanniff said. “It felt great to get that early lead. And once we got that momentum going for us, it was just unstoppable.”
Hanniff was largely responsible for Millikan grabbing the early lead. She led off the game with a single and quickly stole second. Hanniff came around to score that first run on a two-base error by Centennial.
Millikan opened things up in the second inning, stringing together five hits to extend the lead to 5-0. Robin Garcia singled in the first run of the inning, and then Hanniff brought home two more with a double to left-center field. Erica Estrada capped the big inning with an RBI single.
“With this team and what they've shown us over the past few games, I wasn't too concerned if we scored first or second,” Millikan coach Michelle Lehr said. “I knew what our lineup can do. We have no holes.”
Schaffel also was locked in from the start, retiring 14 of the first 16 batters she faced Saturday. Schaffel mixed speeds well, using her rise ball and change-up to keep the Centennial hitters guessing.
“I didn't have my best stuff (the previous game), so I knew I had to go out there and spin in and throw hard and my defense would have my back,” Schaffel said. “I was throwing (the rise ball) a little too high in the first inning. So, I knew I just had to bring it down a little but keep on spinning it.”
Centennial's fourth error of the game brought home another run in the fifth inning, and Millikan added one more when Mikaela Pacheco doubled home Ari Ramirez.
“We weren't on our game on either side, offensively or defensively,” Centennial coach Krista Humphreys said. “Right from the get-go, once that first error was made, we let it really get to us.”
Centennial (25-7) avoided a shutout when Sierra Humphreys hit a two-run home run to center field in the sixth.
Millikan was not among the Top 10 teams in the final CIF-SS Division 2 rankings, but the Rams have now beaten the teams that were ranked No. 5 (La Habra) No. 4 (South Hills) and No. 1 (Centennial) in consecutive games.
“It feels amazing. We are the heartbreakers!” Hanniff exclaimed.
This was a breakthrough season for Centennial in many ways, as the program qualified for the postseason for the first time in 24 seasons.
“We haven't been in many situations like this,” Krista Humphrey said. “We made it to two championship games in tournaments and the semifinals here. But to make this loss worth something, we have to learn from it.”