Live Oak, aided by lucky donkey, wins CCS Division III softball title

SARATOGA – Kayla Tulowitzki, sitting upon a life-sized effigy of a donkey in the West Valley College dugout, flipped her hat inside out and upside down late in Saturday's Central Coast Section Division III title game.

The donkey used to be a prop in a Live Oak civics class, but after that teacher moved out, the team gave the animal a new home in their dugout. Now, the Acorns were using it to bring some momentum to the offense as the players cheered and chanted.

Live Oak was actually leading, but Tulowitzki was doing everything she could to spark her team’s offense after watching Leigh score four runs to cut the deficit to just three in the top of the sixth.

"We're going in with the pressure of winning another title," said Tulowitzki, a cousin of former MLB All-Star and Fremont-Sunnyvale alum Troy Tulowitzki,. "You have a mix of the emotions, just living in the moment, like joy, and then nervousness, but then you always have your teammates to pick you up."

Sparked by the support in the dugout – and maybe some good Donkey luck – Live Oak responded with four runs in the bottom of the sixth en route to a 13-6 victory.

Three years after winning a CCS Division V title as freshmen, the senior class at the Morgan Hill program added another piece of championship hardware to their trophy case.

"This team is just so special to me," senior Olivia Mixco said. "We had a rough start at the beginning (of the year), but we pushed through, and now we're here."

Tulowitzki was just as overjoyed hoisting the trophy in 2026 as she was in 2023, but she also had a different level of appreciation this time around.

"It's a little bittersweet, with the fact of just being a senior, there's a different kind of emotion," Tulowitzki said.

The Acorns beat Leigh twice in Blossom Valley Athletic League play, the first a 16-2 shellacking and the second a 12-8 thriller.

Early on, the Acorns were well on their way to another run-rule win. They jumped out to a 7-0 advantage after four innings, but Leigh responded with two in the fifth, an effort matched by Live Oak in the bottom of the inning.

Leigh then scored four to cut the deficit to 9-6, but would get no closer.

"It kind of speaks to the character of our team, because led by four seniors all year, we've had our backs against the wall, but they continued to fight," Leigh coach Justin Oliver said.

Center fielder Maddie Oliver had three RBIs for the San Jose public school, while Reagyn Hider was 2 of 3 and Prestley Mueller was 2 of 4, both hits being doubles with an RBI.

Mixco was 2 of 5 with two RBIs for Live Oak (14-8), freshman Ava Seider was 3 for 5 with three RBIs, and pitcher Julianna Altamirano helped her own cause by driving in three runs with her bat. Tulowitzki was 2 for 4 with three runs scored.

Both teams entered Saturday with a history of success, with Live Oak having won five section titles, the latest being a Division IV championship in 2023. Leigh had captured three CCS titles, the most recent being a Division V crown in 2024.

Neither team had an easy road to the final, either.

Live Oak went 13-8 but also took down powerhouse Willow Glen 1-0 in the regular season, the only BVAL Mt. Hamilton program to hand the Rams a loss. Once the postseason rolled around, the Acorns beat Los Altos and Capuchino to reach the final.

Leigh (17-10) went .500 in league play and then outlasted Mills 4-3 in the opening round. The Longhorns then stunned top-seeded Milpitas 10-3 to set up a rematch with Live Oak.

It was not a foe Live Oak took lightly.

"Having played them twice and beaten them twice, it makes us feel a little confident, but its the playoffs and anybody can beat anybody on any given day," Live Oak coach Sara Porras said. "We didn't want to come out overconfident, because we knew we had to work hard from the get-go, and that's what we did."

After lifting a CCS trophy, there was no question that Live Oak would accept a berth in NorCal play.

"We're so excited," Tulowitzki said. "We want to put another banner on the wall, get another title."

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 5:41 PM.