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LOS ALAMITOS — Sometimes loss can be a powerful reminder. It’s how the Los Alamitos softball team motivates itself everyday.
“Last year, we lost to Norco 15-1 in the quarterfinals,” Griffins pitcher Sydney Saldana said. “We use that to channel our focus each game.”
In an effort to never feel the sting of playoff defeat again, the team stamped “15-1” in big letters in their locker room as a daily reminder before they take the field.
That quarterfinal loss a year ago cut deeper for Saldana, though.
“I gave up eight runs in the first inning that day,” she recalled.
Saldana did the exact opposite in Los Alamitos’ 4-0 win over visiting Oaks Christian in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 semifinals Saturday afternoon.
The Utah State-bound senior threw a complete-game shutout, had four strikeouts and allowed just four hits to anchor the Griffins (24-7) as they advanced to the Division 1 final to play Roosevelt at Bill Barber Park in Irvine on May 20 or 21. Roosevelt won 3-0 over Gahr in the other semifinal.
Los Alamitos 4, Oaks Christian 0. FINAL
Sydney Saldana pitches a complete game shutout for the Griffins. Giselle Alvarez delivered the big swing in the third inning, a 3-run homer.
Los Al returns to the CIF finals for first time since 2017. pic.twitter.com/ZSPYpxwBWR
— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) May 14, 2022
The Griffins’ win broke Oaks Christian’s 31-game winning streak and marks the program’s first CIF final appearance since 2017, when it lifted the Division 1 crown with a 3-1 win over Norco.
“I knew they were tough hitters,” Saldana said of Oaks Christian. “I worked off the plate, kept the ball down, and not letting anything get over the fence is the name of the game.”
Giselle Alvarez’s three-run home run for Los Alamitos in the third inning broke the game open. Alvarez’s hooking shot over the right-field fence came during a nine-pitch at-bat, and it scored Aya Terrones and Callie Fitzpatrick.
Alvarez was familiar with Oaks Christian pitcher Micaela Kastor from the club softball circuit.
“She’s so good,” Alvarez said of Kastor. “After my first at-bat, I felt I was more prepared for my second time up. I adjusted and put a good swing on it. When it was in the air, I was just hoping it wouldn’t turn foul.”
Los Alamitos’ Giselle Alvarez finishes this 9-pitch at-bat with a 3-run HR over the right-field fence. The Griffins take a 3-0 lead over Oaks Christian in the third inning. @LosAlamitosHigh | @LosAl_Softball pic.twitter.com/3Tu6fMpSiC
— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) May 14, 2022
Kastor, a Notre Dame commit, has been one of the most dominating pitchers in Southern California this postseason. She had 13 strikeouts in the team’s 9-0 quarterfinal win over Murrieta Mesa before striking out five Los Alamitos batters in the first two innings.
“I felt really good about today,” Kastor said. “We won 31 straight games this season. I’m really proud of this team.”
Kastor also threw a complete game and finished with six strikeouts. She went 2 for 3 from the plate.
Oaks Christian coach Pete Ackermann has coached some very good teams in his many years at the helm, and he thinks this one might be the best.
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“I think so,” Ackermann said. “Not considering the end result, then you talk about how far we’ve come and the 31 straight wins. I think it’s the best team I’ve had.”
The semifinal berth earns Oaks Christian more softball to play. The Lions’ season will continue in the CIF State SoCal Regional playoffs the week following the CIF-SS final.