Linfield Christian comes up just short in return to playoffs
Former perennial power falls in first final in 21 years
IRVINE » There was a time when the Linfield Christian softball program was a perennial participant at the CIF Southern Section championships.
The program has experienced some tough times recently, including an 0-10 season in 2021. But an influx of talented young players this season has given the Lions newfound optimism.
Saturday morning at Barber Park, Linfield Christian played in the Division 7 championship game, the program’s first trip to a section final in 21 years. The Lions came up short in a 5-1
Linfield Christian’s Grace Beall gets a hit during the CIF-SS Division 7championship game Saturday in Irvine.
loss to No. 2-seeded Capistrano Valley Christian, but it might be the first step in a renaissance for this storied program.
“We cleaned the slate this year, and these girls came ready to play and fought the entire way,” Lions coach Paul Perez said. “These girls
can play and they had a lot of heart.”
Linfield Christian (16-9) finished fifth in the tough Ambassador League, but the Lions received an atlarge berth into the Division 7 playoffs. Linfield took down No. 1 seed Rosemead in the quarterfinals and No. 4 Duarte in the semifinals.
“I’m so proud of our team for making it this far and trying our best this whole season,” senior catcher Grace Beall said. “We didn’t focus on last season or the past. We just focused on the future and moving forward.”
Linfield got off to a rough start, as Capistrano Valley Christian (27-1) grabbed a 4-0 lead after two innings.
Natalie Gleason gave the Eagles a 1-0 lead in the first inning when she blooped a single to right field to bring home Savi Maier. Capistrano Valley Christian added three more runs in the second inning, as it strung together four hits with two outs. Katelynn Cammarato singled home two runs, and Maier followed with an RBI triple.
Linfield loaded the bases with two outs in the third inning, but Kylee Cammarato
got a strikeout to end the inning.
Mikaylan Eden nearly got Linfield on the board in the fourth inning, when she drove a double off the wall in center field. The Lions left two runners on in that inning and two more the following frame.
“Sometimes when the pressure is up, things change a bit,” Perez said. “We had answered the call every single game in the playoffs, but sometimes the run ends.”
Eden smacked another double off the wall in the sixth inning to help Linfield finally break through.
Eden, a sophomore pitcher, settled down after a slow start and allowed only one run over the final five innings. She is excited to see what this program can do in the years ahead.
“It has been cool to see the growth of everyone throughout the year,” Eden said. “I think we have a big future ahead.”