Bulldog softball finishes second in league, gets 12th seed for CIF playoffs
By Bill Tamburrino
Ramona High School’s softball team finished the regular season and Valley League play by beating Orange Glen and losing to Del Norte and Valley Center High Schools, and placed second in the league with a 6-4 record.
Del Norte and Valley Center tied for first place with 9-1 records.
The Bulldog girls finished the regular season with a 16-14 record and earned a spot in the Division II CIF playoffs. They got the 12th seed and will face the No. 5 seed, Westview High School (16-10), on May 14. A win will send the Lady Dawgs to the No. 4 seed, Scripps Ranch High School, on May 16.
Ramona opened the week at home with an 11-1 rout of Orange Glen High School in a game that was halted due to the 10 run mercy rule.
Alissa Hiener got the start and went the distance to record the win. Hiener tossed a two hitter and struck out five in six innings.
Bre Hirsh had a big day at the dish. Hirsh went 2-for-2 with a home run and two RBIs. She also scored two runs. Kailey Hill had a 3-for-4 outing with two RBIs and three runs scored. Adrianna Johnson and Hiener also had two hit games. Amber Davis, Kenzie Wright, and Heather Celaya also contributed hits to the attack.
Del Norte beat Ramona 5-0 at home to knock Ramona out of contention for a share of the Valley League title. D Cruse threw the shut out for the Nighthawks and limited Ramona to four hits.
Jazmin Simone, Johnson, Davis, and Christina Barrameda all collected singles for Ramona in the game. Hill went the distance and took the loss.
Ramona’s defense fell apart in the season finale in a 9-7 loss to Valley Center. The Bulldogs committed eight errors and gave up eight unearned runs.
Ramona trailed 9-1 after 2-1/2 innings of play and then mounted a comeback that fell short.
Hill got the start and took the loss as she only allowed one earned run in two-plus innings of work. Hiener finished the game in the circle and also was the victim of three unearned runs.
Davis had a three hit outing, and Hill and Barrameda had two hit games. Simone, Julie Ward, Johnson, and Ashley Pittman also contributed hits to the attack.
“We have to regroup and play the kind of softball that got us in a position to win the league. We can beat any team in our bracket. We have to eliminate the errors and play our game. We have shown that we can do it and we have a chance to prove it in the playoffs,” said coach Cori McDonald.