Pacifica Brings Winning Tradition to Softball Final

Pacifica High won Southern Section softball titles in 1997 and ’98 behind Amanda Freed’s pitching. With seven seniors in the starting lineup, the Mariners won again in 1999.

Tonight, Pacifica will try to win an unprecedented fourth consecutive championship at Mayfair Park in Lakewood against top-seeded Hacienda Heights Wilson. But the Mariners will be without a star or the experience of a year ago.

Unlike past seasons, when Pacifica was seeded No. 1, the Mariners weren’t expected to be playing this late in the Division III playoffs.

But some things can’t be changed as easily as a seeding.

Tradition, for example. Wilson has very little.

The Wildcats (26-4-1) won the Miramonte League title, their first since 1994, and have reached the semifinals only three times, including this season.

Pacifica (24-8-1) has won 10 consecutive Garden Grove League titles and reached the semifinals the past six years. Though only two players, Tiare Auelua and four-year starting shortstop Diana Barreras, played in last year’s title game, the Mariners should benefit from previous exposure, no matter how limited, to the big-game atmosphere.

“I actually do think I have an advantage,” said senior catcher Julie Jordan. “Everybody’s going to be nervous, but it gives you one reason to not be as nervous.”

There’s no way to replicate in practice the crowd, or the pressure of having to make that first throw with 2,500 pairs of eyes watching, which is one reason Barreras is so valuable to the Mariners.

“It’s our first trip, and I think we’ll be a little awe-struck early in the game,” admitted Wilson Coach Walt Miller. “We’ve overcome some adversity before.”

That adversity came in the sixth game, when DePaul-bound pitcher April Valdez was struck in the face by a pitched ball. Her fractured cheekbone required reconstructive surgery, and she missed 12 games.

But a freshman, Jamee Juarez, stepped up and stood out, going 17-3 with a 0.20 earned-run average. Valdez returned, and goes into tonight’s game 10-1 with a 0.27 ERA. Though Juarez and Valdez have alternated, Valdez won the quarterfinal over Tustin with a perfect game, and got a victory in relief against Laguna Hills.

Pacifica sophomore Jessica Marical is 17-1 with a 0.43 ERA. Twice in the playoffs, she has been relieved by Kasey Carter. Still, the Mariners have won 15 of their past 17.

“Jessica has done awesome, and the hitting is coming through,” said Jordan, whose home run powered Pacifica to a 1-0 quarterfinal win over third-seeded Whittier La Serna. “It’s a tradition that has to be upheld.”

In another championship game:

Division V--Thousand Oaks vs. Ventura St. Bonaventure: Top-seeded La Reina (23-4) is making its first title-game appearance since 1995 after defeating San Pedro Mary Star of the Sea, 7-3, in an eight-inning semifinal victory. Sarah DiJulio’s three-run double was the key hit. St. Bonaventure (19-10) is led by Annie Marostica (17-7), who pitched a two-hitter and hit a home run in a 1-0 semifinal victory over Cerritos Whitney.

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Prep Softball

* What: Southern Section

Division Championships

* When: Today

* Where: Mayfair Park, Clark Avenue and South Street, Lakewood

* Division III: Hacienda Heights Wilson (26-4-1) vs. Pacifica (24-8-1), 5 p.m.

* Division V: Ventura St. Bonaventure (19-10) vs. Thousand Oaks La Reina (23-4), 7:30 p.m.

* Tickets: All general admission, $7 adults, $3 children 12 and under.