Division I: St. Francis at Hollister, 4 p.m.
St. Francis didn’t have to wait very long for a chance at revenge.
Exactly one week after Hollister stunned St. Francis 4-0 in the Central Coast Section Open Division title game, the Mountain View school will get a shot at retribution on Saturday.
This time, No. 2 seed St. Francis will travel to top-seeded Hollister for the NorCal Division I championship.
“I’m pumped and ready for it,” said St. Francis junior Kate Munnerlyn, whose team won the NorCal Division I title last season. “We want that redemption.”
These are undoubtedly the best teams in the region.
St. Francis enters Saturday with a 28-3 record and a run differential of 209. Hollister is 29-3 and has outscored opponents by 188 runs.
St. Francis defeated Hollister 10-2 in the regular season, but a resilient Haybalers team switched things up in the final.
“It’ll be time to do it again at our park,” Hollister senior Laila Rueda said about a possible rematch after the CCS title game.
Following their first shutout loss to a CCS opponent since 2019, the Lancers run-ruled San Ramon Valley 10-0 in five innings on Tuesday before winning a nine-inning thriller against Central-Fresno on Thursday.
“We know what to expect going into it, so we’ll be ready for sure,” said Rebecca Quinn, who sent St. Francis to the title game with a walk-off single in the ninth inning against Central-Fresno.
Hollister defeated Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills 2-0 in the first round and then hung on for a 3-2 victory over Whitney-Rocklin, a game where Whitney ended the game with the tying run in scoring position.
St. Francis has two ace pitchers in Kate Munnerlyn and Shannon Keighran who have combined to strike out over 300 batters.
Hollister, which is on a nine-game winning streak, boasts a well-rounded lineup that hit 19 home runs this season, with no player contributing more than three.
Division II: Notre Dame-Salinas at Willow Glen, 4 p.m.
One of the youngest players in the NorCal Division II title game between Willow Glen and Notre Dame-Salinas will arguably be its best on Saturday afternoon.
After starting the season as part of a freshman pitching duo, fireballing righthander Alanna Clincy has taken over as Willow Glen’s unquestioned starter, pitching at least five innings in the last nine Willow Glen games, seven of those victories.
Clincy has 174 strikeouts, and allowed four total hits in NorCal wins over Casa Grande and Bullard, a game deemed the biggest in program history.
That set up a rematch between the Rams and Notre Dame, a game Willow Glen won 7-5 in the regular season.
The San Jose school is certainly capable of winning a high-scoring game, with five regular starters all batting over .300.
Senior Faamaai Ulu leads the team with a .402 average and three home runs, Sophomore McKenna Campbell is hitting .384 with 10 doubles and senior Aleki Ulu has a team-high 21 RBIs.
North Salinas at Live Oak, 2 p.m.
Live Oak’s ended the regular season 10-11 and seventh in the BVAL-Mt. Hamilton Division standings.
On Saturday, the Acorns have an opportunity to finish the year in Morgan Hill as NorCal Division V champions with a win over North Salinas.
Live Oak defeated Pacific Grove 4-0 in the CCS Division IV title game, earned a No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in NorCal, and run-ruled Los Molinos 10-0 in Thursday’s semifinal.
Senior Dre DeJesus leads Live Oak (14-11) with six doubles and four triples while batting .365 in stats reported to MaxPreps. Ava Chapman and Bela Panuco each hit a home run in the semifinal victory over Los Molinos.
No. 2 seed North Salinas (15-12) run-ruled California School for the Deaf and Stone Ridge Christian-Sacramento to reach the title game.
Source: www.mercurynews.com