Le Grand softball claims NorCal championship with come-from-behind win
The Le Grand High softball team completed its perfect postseason run by winning a CIF Northern California Division 5 regional championship on Saturday.
The second-seeded Bulldogs downed fourth-seeded Moreau Catholic of Hayward 5-3 at home to claim the title.
It was Le Grand’s sixth consecutive postseason victory. It won three games to win the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 7 championship, then earned three more victories to claim the NorCal crown.
After the Bulldogs had dominated all of its playoff opponents, Le Grand needed a comeback to beat Moreau Catholic, which took a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth inning.
The Bulldogs didn’t take long to re-take the lead, scoring twice in the bottom of the fifth on Ava Avila’s two-run home run. It was a no-doubt shot to right field that Avila celebrated as she left the batter’s box.
Avila, Le Grand’s starting pitcher, was solid on the mound, allowing only one earned run.
The junior had a shutout going into the top of the fifth inning, but Moreau Catholic started the inning with a three-base error. The Mariners loaded the bases with no outs and scored three runs. But Avila struck out the next three batters to limit the damage and end the inning.
Aaliyah Ceja’s RBI double in the bottom of the sixth inning gave Le Grand an insurance run.
Avila pitched a 1-2-3 and celebrated the final out, a strikeout, by throwing her glove in the air.
Le Grand finished the season with a 22-7 record.
