Softball: It’s Ayala, then everybody else, after Day 2 of showcase

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I’m excited about Ayala, which is clearly the best softball team on the planet. I know, I know, I pooh-poohed its victory over La Palma Kennedy on Thursday in the first round of the Nike Faster to First tournament. The Bulldogs had just beaten the No. 1 team in the nation and denied me the opportunity to watch Kennedy against Corona Santiago, a 1 vs. 2 matchup. I was sobbing privately when I wrote those words.

But on Friday Ayala beat No. 2 Santiago, 3-1, and for good measure beat No. 21 Sparks (Nev.) Spanish Springs, 7-3.

It’s hard to believe Ayala opened the season with a couple of mortal losses to El Toro in a doubleheader, 4-1 and 4-0. But that was the first day of the season. March 1 was an eternity ago.

Obviously, no team in the world is better than Ayala right now. The Bulldogs will prove this when they beat No. 4 Sacramento Sheldon in one of the 1 p.m. semifinals at the Huntington Beach Sports Complex before playing in the championship game tonight/Saturday, at 7:15 p.m., against the winner of the game between No. 19 Pembroke Pines (Fla.) and No. 20 El Modena.

Obviously, it’s a new ball game around here.

Under normal circumstances, I would give Sacramento Sheldon half a chance. About a month ago it appeared the folks at StudentSports.com were going to make the Huskies the No. 1 team in its preseason Fab 50 before chickening out in its national ranking. Sheldon has a junior pitcher, Jolene Henderson, and catcher, Lindsey Ziegenhirt, who are so good they were recruited as a package and have already committed to California. But they have never seen anything like my favorite team, Ayala, whose sophomore pitcher Jessica Hall is mowing through opponents like John Deere.

And don’t think junior Nani St. Germain is going to be intimidated by Henderson. St. Germain has three home runs in three games in this tournament -- a two-run homer against Kennedy in the bottom of the ninth inning, and two against Pembroke Pines. She went two for three against Santiago’s Kamerin May, and that’s saying something, too, even though the ball stayed in the yard.

I tell you, my team is unstoppable.

-- Martin Henderson