Moorpark to Meet Mt. SAC in Softball Playoff Opener

Moorpark College will play host to Mt. San Antonio at 3 this afternoon in the first round of the Southern California junior college regional softball playoffs.

Sophomore De Dow (24-7), the Western State Conference Pitcher of the Year the past two seasons, will start for Moorpark. If the Lady Raiders win, they will play host to either El Camino or College of the Canyons in a best-of-three series beginning Saturday.

Moorpark, seeded third in the playoffs, set a single-season record for victories with a 32-10 mark. The Lady Raiders have won 41 conference games in a row at home and three consecutive WSC titles.

“The hard thing about this tournament is that if you lose that first-round game you’re out,” Moorpark Coach Will Thurston said.

Moorpark lost, 5-4, to Mt. San Antonio (18-18), seeded 14th, in a nonconference game earlier this season in the only meeting between the teams.

Should it survive, Moorpark is guaranteed home berths for the first two rounds of the tournament because of its seeding. San Diego Mesa eliminated the Lady Raiders in the second round of the tournament last season.

“I think we’re real deserving of that third seed,” Thurston said. “We’ve already accomplished a couple of our goals by winning the conference and staying undefeated at home in conference play.”

In another first-round game at 3 this afternoon, Canyons (26-14), seeded 11th, will play at El Camino, seeded sixth.