Southern Section Softball : 2-A and 3-A Finals Tonight

The Southern Section 2-A and 3-A girls’ high school softball finals will be played tonight at Mayfair Park in Lakewood, and the Small Schools, 1-A and 4-A finals will be played there Saturday.

In the 3-A final at 8 p.m., top-seeded La Palma Kennedy will play La Mirada. Kennedy (24-5) is led by a strong defense and freshman pitcher Cheryl Longeway, who has a 22-3 record and an earned-run average of 0.39. Second-seeded La Mirada (26-2), which outlasted Valencia in a 2-day, 25-inning marathon, also has a strong defense and an outstanding pitcher in junior Dena Mullins, 20-2.

The 2-A final at 6 p.m. will be a rematch of last year’s championship game, with top-seeded Irvine Woodbridge (24-6) taking on Pacific Coast League rival Laguna Hills (20-9). Woodbridge’s star is Tiffany Boyd, the team’s leading hitter as well as the starting pitcher. Boyd has not given up an earned run this season. Laguna Hills’ starting pitcher, junior Margo Melendrez, is also leading her team in hitting during the playoffs.

In Saturday’s 4-A final at 8 p.m., St. Paul of Santa Fe Springs (20-6) will face Buena of Ventura (26-2-1). St. Paul’s starting pitcher, Keri Kropke (20-3) has pitched a perfect game, a no-hitter, a 22-inning shutout and a one-hitter in the playoffs. Buena pitcher Tamara Evans has a 15-2 record, and the offense has seven starters batting over .350.

In the 1-A final Saturday at 5:30 p.m., Lawndale Leuzinger (20-3) will play top-seeded St. Joseph of Santa Maria. In the Small Schools final Saturday at 3 p.m., top-seeded Leffingwell Christian of Norwalk (19-3) will play Big Bear (18-6).