Liliana Escobar powers JSerra softball past Norco in Division 1 semifinals
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NORCO — JSerra encountered numerous signs of Norco’s historical dominance in softball as it traveled to the city dubbed “Horsetown USA” for the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinals.
The outfield wall at Norco High honors seven CIF-SS title Division 1 championships, four state crowns and two national titles.
Above the outfield fence on Saturday, more than 20 canopies and even a RV, dotted the field with mostly Norco fans.
But after JSerra’s Liliana Escobar recorded the final out with her 14th strikeout, the Lions made sure their ace had her own symbol of dominance.
JSerra placed a cowboy hat from its dugout spirit collection on Escobar as it celebrated a 2-0 victory against the reigning Division 1 champion.
Escobar retired the final nine batters en route to a three-hitter and Annabel Raftery homered for the third consecutive game to lead the Lions (24-8) to their first Division 1 final.
And JSerra took the step as a program at Norco.
“It makes the win even more special,” JSerra coach Katie Stith said. “You want to be part of the (championship) environment. That’s what I tell my kids, ‘You want to play good softball. You want to play good teams. You want to enjoy the moment.’ “
“I’m just proud of them for competing … and believing they could do it,” added the eighth-year coach, who guided the Lions to a runner-up finish in Division 2 last season.
JSerra followed Escobar’s lead to reach the finals next week against La Mirada, which beat La Habra 5-1 in the other semifinal.
The University of Florida-committed senior beat Norco for the second this season and recorded her third double-digit strikeout performance against the No. 2-seeded Cougars (28-3).
“She’s throwing darts and she’s spinning it and getting them to miss,” Raftery said of Escobar, who tossed her second shutout this week and raised her school record for strikeouts in a season to 252.
“She just a dawg,” Stith added of Escobar. “She really wants to win.”
Raftery hit her school-record 12th home with one out in the third to give JSerra a 1-0 lead. The left-handed batter sent a 1-0 pitch from UCLA-committed junior Coral Williams onto a canopy beyond left field.
The home run came moments after Raftery scrambled to catch a foul ball behind the plate.
“The home run means everything,” Escobar said. “Just getting runs on the board is always great, especially coming from her. She’s always so supportive and I’m happy for her.”
Left fielder Brooklyn Lamb used her base running to help the Lions extend their lead to 2-0 later in the third.
Lamb reached on an error and raced to third on a fly out down the right field line off the bat of Zena Edwards. Lamb took the extra base as Norco appeared to consider appealing the tag without time being called.
Freshman Magenta De Arte, batting cleanup for JSerra, followed with a two-out single to center to score Lamb and chase Williams.
“That second run is all the difference in the world,” Stith said. “It definitely was heads up (base running). The ball wasn’t dead.”
“There was confusion on that tag up and the JSerra runner took advantage,” Norco coach Rick Robinson said. “We had a good run but Escobar was better than us today.”
JSerra played errorless defense. Third baseman Ava Van Heerde fielded a grounder for an out in the sixth against catcher Isabella Ray, who singled and walked.
“It’s always a good day when you beat Norco,” Escobar said. “Beating a good team feels great. You see all their banners, championships, state championships, nationals. For us to go ahead and beat them, it’s a really good sign for us.”
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This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 8:51 PM.