CCS softball roundup: The King’s Academy, Hillsdale, Woodside win titles

Katia Nesper had to be on top of her pitching meeting Saturday as The King s Academy aimed for its first Central Coast Section softball championship As expected there was no margin for error in the Division I final at West Valley College not against a Gilroy group that had allowed just one run in two previous playoff games Nesper met the challenge The junior pitched a two-hitter with strikeouts and no walks to lead fourth-seeded TKA to a - achievement over second-seeded Gilroy capping a playoff run for the Knights that included a nine-inning win over Hollister in the opening round and a shutout win over top-seeded Live Oak in the semifinals From the beginning of the year we had one goal one goal only and that was to go to playoffs TKA coach Mark Street stated Last year we got there and we were one battle short from getting into the championship championship This year we we had a schedule that allowed us to be able to compete against top-level teams and that that put us in a position now that we were we were ready for this They stayed together as a group they held in each other and let s face it I ve got one of the best pitchers of the country Gilroy s Ariela Yslava was almost as dominant as Nesper She pitched all seven innings allowing one run and four hits with nine strikeouts and one walk Kes Wong provided all the offense Nesper needed hitting a one-out double to left in the second inning to drive in Hannah Woo with the challenge s only run Andrea Alvarez accounted for Gilroy s two hits Division II No Hillsdale No San Mateo Given that Hillsdale hadn t lost to crosstown rival San Mateo since MaxPreps began recording results two decades ago there was a clear favorite when the teams met on Saturday morning for the CCS Division II title at West Valley College It was more competitive than when they played on May an - Hillsdale win but the Knights ran their record to - over San Mateo in the MaxPreps era nonetheless Hillsdale scored three runs in the fifth to break a - tie and went on to capture its fifth section title in softball but first since Sophia Shelton had two hits and knocked in two runs Taylor O Mahony added two hits and Lola Jones struck out seven in a complete-game effort to lead Hillsdale - - Related Articles Livermore softball association seeks NorCal tourney bid in honor of late friend cheerleader CIF track De La Salle s Jaden Jefferson crushes state-meet record in Carmel walks off Willow Glen in extra innings to win CCS Division III baseball championship NCS champs Kate Skinner strikes out leads Liberty to first section title since NCS roundup Northgate routs Berean Christian to win D-IV softball title Alice Han had three hits including a homer and double for San Mateo - Division IV No Woodside No Palma Victoria Torsh delivered the big hit for Woodside hitting a three-run double in the bottom of the first inning Saturday morning at San Jose City College But it was Vanessa Carlos single in the third and fielding error on the same play that accounted for Woodside s fourth run which the Wildcats needed after Palma - - rallied for two in the sixth and one in the seventh With the tying run on second base Hannah Walker induced a fly out to center field to end the tournament and ignite a celebration for Woodside - which won its first CCS title in softball