Saldana leads Los Al to berth in Division 1 final
LOS ALAMITOS >> Sometimes a loss can be a powerful reminder. It's how the Los Alamitos High softball team motivates itself everyday.
“Last year, we lost to Norco 15-1 in the quarterfinals,” pitcher Sydney Saldana said. “We use that to channel our focus each game.”
In an effort to never feel the sting of playoff defeat again, the team stamped “15-1” in in their locker room as a daily reminder before they take the field.
That quarterfinal loss a year ago cut deeper for Saldana, though.
“I gave up eight runs in the first inning that day,” she recalled.
Saldana did the exact opposite in Los Alamitos' 4-0 win over Oaks Christian in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 semifinal Saturday afternoon.
The Utah State-bound senior threw a complete game, allowing just four hits and striking out four to lead the Griffins (24-7) to the Division 1 final next weekend against Roosevelt, a 3-0 winner over Gahr in the other semifinal.
The Griffins' win snapped Oaks Christian's 31-game winning streak and marks the program's first CIF final appearance since 2017, when it won the Division 1 crown with a 3-1 win over Norco.
“I knew they were tough hitters,” Saldana said of Oaks Christian. “I worked off the plate, kept the ball down, and not letting anything get over the fence is the name of the game.”
Giselle Alvarez's three-run homerun in the third inning broke the game open. Alvarez's hooking shot over the right-field fence came after a nine-pitch at bat and scored Aya Terrones and Callie Fitzpatrick.
Alvarez — along with a number of other girls from both teams — was familiar with Oaks Christian pitcher Micaela Kastor from the club softball circuit.
“She's so good,” Alvarez said of Kastor. “After my first at-bat, I felt I was more prepared for my second time up. I adjusted and put a good swing on it. When it was in the air, I was just hoping it wouldn't turn foul.”
Kastor, a Notre Dame commit, has been one of the most dominating pitchers in Southern California this postseason. She had 13 strikeouts in the team's 9-0 quarterfinal win over Murrieta Mesa on Thursday before coming in and striking out five Los Alamitos batters in the first two innings.
“I felt really good about today,” Kastor said. “We won 31 straight games this season. I'm really proud of this team.”
Kastor also threw a complete game and finished with six strikeouts. She also went 2 for 3.
Oaks Christian coach Pete Ackermann has coached some very good teams in his many years at the helm, he thinks this one might be the best.
“I think so,” Ackermann said. “Not considering the end result, then you talk about how far we've come and the 31 straight wins. I think it's the best team I've had.”
The semifinal berth earns Oaks Christian more softball. The Lions' season will continue in the CIF State SoCal Regional playoffs the week following the CIF-SS final, which will either be played Friday or Saturday at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine.