Woodlake wins CIF regional title by mercy rule, plus Hanford West wins on road
.jpeg "Woodlake poses for a CIF regional title.")
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Woodlake scored eight runs in the bottom of the fifth to win 14-4 by mercy rule.
- Woodlake trailed 2-0 before rallying to take the lead in the fourth.
- Rylan Montoya pitched a complete game, allowing four runs and one strikeout.
One big inning was all the Woodlake softball team needed — even if it meant ending things by mercy rule.
The Tigers scored eight runs in the bottom of the fifth, capped by Mia Aldana’s two-run single, to secure a 14-4 victory in five innings over Grossmont in the CIF Southern California Division IV championship Saturday.
“We’ve been here,” Woodlake coach Ramon Lara said. “It’s a seven-inning game, and all that matters is we’re ahead at the end of the game.”
Woodlake trailed 2-0 before rallying. Grossmont scored two runs in the fourth, but the Tigers answered in the bottom half when Ella Lara delivered a three-run double to put Woodlake ahead 6-4.
The Tigers have now won back-to-back regional titles — something Lara said he expected.
Woodlake set out to win the East Sequoia League title, a Central Section Division V championship and, now, another SoCal crown.
Before the season started, Lara’s message was simple: Let’s do this again.
His players responded.
“It was trying to get that title,” Lara said. “The goals were no different when we started this year. We competed every game, and they were there day in and day out.”
Hanford West wins, too
Hanford West jumped out to a 3-0 lead and never looked back, winning the CIF SoCal Division III championship with an 8-4 victory over Helix.
Erika Hernandez drove in four runs for the Huskies, and Kennidy Perryman had three RBIs.
After falling 11-6 to Chowchilla in the Central Section Division III final, the Huskies weren’t about to come up short again. This time, Hanford West closed it out and celebrated after recording the final out.
Rylan Montoya pitched a complete game, allowing four runs (three earned) and striking out one.
