Rio Mesa Takes Sizable Stride

Rio Mesa High has arrived.

When top softball teams in the region are discussed, the Spartans usually have been an afterthought.

They can’t be anymore.

They routed Westlake, 7-1, on Saturday for the Thousand Oaks tournament Green Division championship at Los Cerritos Middle School, capping a day that began with an eight-inning, 2-1 upset of Valencia, The Times’ No. 1-ranked team in the region.

Pacific View League champion Rio Mesa, ranked No. 6, improved to 18-6.

“I think this helped us make a big name for ourselves,” said tournament most valuable player Chanel Tripp (17-3), who struck out 24 Saturday, including 16 in the semifinal three-hitter against Valencia (22-4).

Against Westlake, she allowed only a fifth-inning single to Lindsey Etheridge.

Third baseman Chrissy Hildebrandt, who has committed to San Francisco State, provided the offensive punch in both games.

Her run-scoring single in the bottom of the eighth ended the Valencia game.

Against Westlake (15-8-2), she homered in the first inning and her three hits paced a 13-hit attack. She finished five for nine with three runs batted in in both games.

Sharon Muniz, Anita Urias and Valerie Carrizales each added two hits for the Spartans, who broke open a 1-1 championship game with a run in the fifth, four in the sixth and one in the seventh.

Westlake advanced to the final with a 3-0 victory over Thousand Oaks. Tiffany Meadows sparked a three-run second with a run-scoring single and Rehm shut out the Marmonte League champions for the second time in a week.

Thousand Oaks, ranked No. 3, defeated Valencia, 3-1, in the third-place game.

Valencia (21-4) played without 10 players--five of them starters--because of the school’s prom.

In other Thousand Oaks tournament games:

Hart 5, El Camino Real 3--Casey Pickard had three hits and Kristin Leuke added two for Hart (22-4) in the fifth-place game.

Lindsey Kontra delivered a run-scoring single in a two-run first inning to help Hart to a 2-1 victory over Highland.

El Camino Real 2, Dos Pueblos 0--Melissa Coogan (23-6) pitched a two-hitter and Kelly Lombard, Megan Zwoyer and Lindsay Goldblatt each had two hits for El Camino Real.