June 1, 2007

Three championship games previewed
By Martin Henderson, Times Staff Writer

Southern Section softball championships will be decided in seven divisions Friday and Saturday at Barber Park in Irvine. Here is a division-by-division preview of Friday's final matchups:

Division II: Garden Grove Pacifica (26-7) vs. La Palma Kennedy (29-1), 6:30 p.m. — These Empire League rivals should have been the highest-seeded teams in the tournament, and while Kennedy is seeded No. 1, Pacifica is No. 3. Kennedy twice defeated Pacifica in league play, 2-1 in eight innings and 2-0 in the season finale. Long Beach State recruit Brooke Turner (27-1, 0.11 ERA) has been the difference. She has the Southern Section's second-lowest earned-run average and shutouts in four of Kennedy's last five games. Twins Jamia Reid (.468, 32 runs, 11 RBIs, 40 stolen bases) and Elia Reid (.376, 17 runs, 25 RBIs, 21 stolen bases), junior outfielders who have committed to California, provide spark at the top of the order. Pacifica is one of the Southland's best-hitting teams, averaging 6.4 runs a game, and features at least seven future Division I college players, including UCLA-bound shortstop Monica Harrison (.382, 25 runs, 40 RBIs) and her sister, junior outfielder Andrea Harrison (.456, 37 runs, 38 RBIs). Christine Hiner (6-2, 0.65 ERA) got a late start to the season because of various ailments — flu, bronchitis, tendinitis — but the Cal State Fullerton-bound pitcher has thrown 17 consecutive shutout innings. Pacifica is in the finals for the fourth time in five years, and is 5-2 in title games since making its first appearance in 1996, with championships in 1996-98 and 2003-04. Kennedy won titles in 1984 and 1988, but has been to the finals only once since, losing in an upset to Placentia El Dorado in 2000. The pitcher for Kennedy in that game was Michelle Turner, Brooke's older sister.

Division VI: Riverside Christian (18-7) vs. Murrieta Calvary Chapel (26-4-1), 4:15 p.m. — There was a three-way tie atop the Big Sky League standings, and two of those three teams are playing for the division title. Third-seeded Calvary Chapel, in the finals for only the second time, was beaten in last year's title game by Pasadena La Salle, 1-0. The Warriors are led by junior Tory Ferreira (.548, 35 RBIs), who has a 14-game hitting streak and has hit safely in all but three games this season. They have eight players batting .340 or better, with four at .407 or better. Ferreira is also 25-4 with an ERA of 0.57. Fourth-seeded Riverside Christian is in the finals for the first time. The Cougars are led by freshman Asia Alvarez (.575, 35 runs, 38 RBIs), who has 20 extra-base hits, including eight homers, among her 42 hits. Alvarez (8-3, 1.70 ERA) was the winning pitcher in a 7-6 victory over Calvary Chapel in which the teams combined for 30 hits, and pitched three scoreless innings in relief of Katie Vanhofwegan (9-4, 2.48) in a 6-1 loss to the Warriors.

Division VII: Canoga Park Faith Baptist (20-8) vs. Granada Hills Hillcrest Christian (17-7), 2 p.m. — Third-seeded Hillcrest Christian stumbled into the playoffs with four consecutive losses by a combined 43-21 score, yet the Eagles have won four in a row when it mattered, including a 13-12 semifinal victory over second-seeded Moreno Valley Calvary Chapel. Senior infielder Mallory Stemme (.603, 29 runs, 34 RBIs) is one of three players who have on-base percentages of at least .639. They will be going up against Liberty League rival and fourth-seeded Faith Baptist, which has a .381 team batting average and whose Trinity Cuff (.548, 30 runs) has 48 RBIs, three short of the Southland's leading total. Cuff also has a record of 17-7 with a 2.60 ERA. The teams split their league games, Hillcrest Christian winning the first, 5-4, thanks in part to Faith Baptist's eight errors. Faith Baptist won the second, 15-5, during which it pounded out 19 hits. This is the first championship game for both.