Cypress, Rancho Santiago Set for State Tournament

That Cypress made the State softball tournament this season really isn’t big news. It has become expected.

When Cypress plays Chabot at 1 p.m. Friday at Riverside, it marks the seventh consecutive time the Chargers have reached the State tournament.

“That’s one of our biggest recruiting things,” Cypress Coach Brad Pickler said. “We really stress that.”

Cypress is joined in the tournament this year by Rancho Santiago, which won the Orange Empire Conference. The Dons play Sacramento at 3 p.m. Friday.

Cypress, which finished second in the conference, has a solid chance of winning the tournament largely because of pitching depth. Debbie Goddu is 16-3, Heidi Schmidt is 16-2 and Jenny Lopez is 15-3.

“We have all the components to win it,” Pickler said. “All our pitchers are healthy and rested.”

Lopez is also the Chargers’ leadoff hitter and plays center field when she isn’t pitching. She is hitting a team-high .335 and has scored 47 runs.

Christa Saindon is hitting .331 and has set a Cypress single-season record with 41 RBIs.

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Rancho Santiago is making its first appearance in the State tournament since 1987. The Dons won State titles 1985 and 1986.

Rancho Santiago Coach Kim Nutter, in her fourth season, said her team must “sharpen up its defense and pitching” to have a chance.

Hitting is of little concern. That’s where the Dons shine.

Renee Taylor, a sophomore outfielder, has a team-high 32 RBIs, the second best single-season total in the college’s history. She is also hitting .389.

Leadoff hitter Christina Mazurie was seven for 10 in the regional playoffs and upped her average to .406 (54 for 133). She also has 20 steals in 22 attempts.

Amy Tessman (21-7) and Melody Robles (11-3) make up the Dons’ pitching staff.

Tournament notes

Palomar plays West Valley at 1 p.m. and San Mateo plays Long Beach at 3 in the other first-round games in the double-elimination tournament. The first-round winners meet at 6 and 8 p.m. Friday. The losers play at noon Saturday. The winners’ bracket final is Saturday at 8 p.m. and the title game is Sunday at 2 p.m. Long Beach is the favorite.