CERRITOS — Mission Viejo’s softball team vowed to be motivated for Gahr in the first round of the CIF State SoCal regional playoffs.

The Diablos backed up their claims with a resounding effort Tuesday.

The CIF-SS Division 2 champion scored four runs in the fifth inning and eight in the sixth to defeat host and shortened-handed Gahr 13-2 in a mercy-rule shortened game in Division I.

Sixth-seeded Mission Viejo (27-5) silenced the Gladiators’ rowdy student section by banging out 15 hits and playing error-free defense in support of sophomore ace Sofia Elliott, who allowed two runs in five innings and struck out four.

“We played fully as a team once again,” Mission Viejo senior shortstop Sammi Woods said. “At the banquet (Sunday), we realized how emotional it was leaving each other and that we didn’t want to end (our season) yet.”

Mission Viejo will face another Division 1 semifinalist in Oaks Christian in the regional semifinals. The game is scheduled for Friday at Oaks Christian at 11 a.m., which places the Diablos’ seniors near their graduation outing to Universal Studios later that day. The seniors graduate on Thursday.

Third-seeded Gahr (23-10), a semifinalist in CIF-SS Division 1, sat three starters, including a pitcher, due to participation in a travel ball competition.

Gahr never led against the Diablos.

Mission Viejo scored four runs in the fifth to open a 5-0 lead.

Senior Aliyah Gonzalez helped spark the inning with a one-out, pinch-hit single with the bases loaded. Senior Sarah Araujo followed with another RBI single and junior Sydney Denser added a sacrifice fly as Mission Viejo’s lineup batted around.

The Diablos sent 12 batters to the plate in the sixth, loaded the base twice and scored seven runs before recording an out. Elliott, Kara King, Araujo and Denser each drove in runs with singles.

“It’s not always about hitting home runs,” Gonzalez said. “If you hit it in the right spot, you get runners on bases and that’s important.”

Gahr struggle on defense with five errors but Gahr coach Rey Sanchez credited Mission Viejo, which has outscored its postseason opposition 35-4.

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“Hats off to them,” Sanchez said. “They took advantage of the opportunities we created for them.”

Tesoro (Division II) and Capistrano Valley Christian (Division V) also won first round games.