St. Francis softball avoids another early NorCal exit with stirring 1st-round win
A year after complete despair brought on by a stunning upset loss in the first round of the Northern California playoffs, the St. Francis softball team experienced the opposite on Tuesday.
With her team having been down to its final strike three times, junior outfielder and three-time West Catholic Athletic League MVP Jaime Oakland delivered a run-scoring double to plate May Meltz to tie the score. A few moments later, Peyton Tsao doubled home the winning run to beat Rocklin 3-2 in a Division 1 contest.
Last season, following a 4-1 loss to Amador Valley-Pleasanton, the then-undefeated and national No. 1 Lancers tearfully walked off their home field. On Tuesday, they skipped and joyfully celebrated.
The third-seeded Lancers (28-3) next travel to No. 2 Del Oro-Loomis (29-2) Thursday in the semifinals.
Tuesday's win did end with controversy.
Tsao's liner in right-center field appeared to be caught on a diving play. But after huddling, umpires ruled that the ball had bounced. It took nothing away from the emotional win, said St. Francis coach Mike Oakland, who has led the team to a sparkling 209-30 mark since taking over in 2017, including five Central Coast Section titles.
The fifth CCS title came Saturday, a wild 9-6, eight-inning win at top seed Willow Glen-San Jose when Hayden Hummel, Tsao, Gabby Rocha and Isabella Sandoval all drove in two runs. Sandoval, Rocha and Hummel are all seniors.
'Our girls have been resilient all year,' Oakland said via text. 'They kept fighting (Tuesday) and found a way to get it done. Rocklin is a very strong team with an elite pitcher. There were no easy innings and we had runners on base most of the game and couldn't get the hit we needed until the end.'
More first-round softball: In Division 2, Isabella Rice, Kylee McKinney and Taylor Jennings all blasted home runs to lift No. 4 seed Liberty-Brentwood (24-4) to a 14-3 five-inning home win over Central Catholic-Modesto. The Lions will travel to play top seed Vanden-Fairfield, an 8-6 winner over Foothill-Pleasanton, which got a home run and two RBIs from Alexa Sponsel. … No. 6 seed King's Academy-Sunnyvale (22-7) beat No. 3 Destiny Christian-Sacramento 5-4 behind two hits and two RBIs each from Katia Nesper and Mia Bennette. … In Division 3, Callie Howard threw a two-hitter with 11 strikeouts and Andrea Mansberry and Izzie Kunimune each had two hits and two RBIs as second-seed Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa beat Calaveras 5-1. … In Division 5, seventh-seed Balboa (14-4) broke open a close game with a 15-run fifth inning to win 20-3 at Foresthill (Placer County). The Bucs will have another long bus ride to face host and third-seed King City (19-11).
Baseball first-round: In Division 1, Tyler Spangler and Antonio Castro had three hits apiece and Bubba Vargas drove in three runs as host and top seed De La Salle-Concord defeated Del Oro 7-3. The Spartans will next host St. Mary's-Stockton (26-8), a 4-3 winner over Valley Christian. Mississippi State-bound Dax Hardcastle launched a game-ending leadoff homer in the seventh for St. Mary's. Christian Navarez had a home run for Valley Christian (25-8-1). … A bases-loaded walk to Tyler Harrison in the 12th inning gave No. 3 seed Serra a 2-1 win over College Park-Pleasant Hill. Kelley Crawford, Aiden Waters and Davis Minton combined to throw a five-hitter for Serra, which will host No. 7 seed Los Gatos, a 9-8 winner at Franklin-Elk Grove. Brayden Smith drove in three runs with a double and Rowen Smith added a two-run double for Los Gatos (25-5). … In Division 2, sixth-seeded Acalanes-Lafayette (18-10-1) continued its late-season surge with a 9-3 win over No. 3 Chico (28-2) as Ando Butner had a two-run homer and Drew Asadorian and Cominic Patiucci each drove in two. … Nick Chow threw a four-hitter and Henry Dommer added a homer and double, lifting St. Francis (21-10) to a 5-0 win over Central Catholic. … In Division 4, pitchers Jackson Flanagan and Reid Plamondon made a two-run first-inning double from Zach Roeder stand up for No. 5 seed Menlo School-Atherton in a 2-0 win at Las Lomas-Walnut Creek. … A Zach Gallegos RBI single capped Santa Clara's 10-9 comeback win over Oakland Tech, which led 7-2 in the third inning. John Depner, Drew Diffenderfer and Jaxton Chao all drove in two runs for the Bruins (28-3). … In Division 5, Nicholas Chiu hit a two-run homer and Jerry Hou and Everett Carvalho each drove in three runs leading sixth-seed Lincoln to a 16-4 win at No. 3 Vacaville Christian. The Mustangs (17-15), who got three hits and three runs by Aidan Castaneda, travel to No. 2 Stevenson-Pebble Beach, a 5-2 winner over Torres.
State golf: Led by a 4-under round of 67 by Josh Kim and a 71 from Noah Eisen on Tuesday, De La Salle tied for second in the CIF State Golf Championships at Poppy Hills Country Club. The Spartans and Santa Margarita-Rancho Santa Margarita (Orange County) finished at 362, nine strokes back of champion and host Stevenson (353), which had three players finish under par, led by Luke Brandler (67). The individual champion was St. Francis-La Canada (Los Angeles County) freshman Jaden Soong, who shot a bogey-free round of 62 with seven birdies and an eagle to finish two strokes better than Evan Liu (64), of Torrey Pines (San Diego County). Palo Alto, led Brendan O'Keefe's 70 and Joshua Wang's 71, finished fifth out of six teams at 367.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
33 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Reports: Bayern agrees deal with Leverkusen to take Tah to Club World Cup
MUNICH (AP) — Bayern Munich has reportedly agreed a deal with Bayer Leverkusen to take Germany defender Jonathan Tah to the Club World Cup. Kicker magazine and other media outlets reported Saturday that Bayern, which had announced Tah's signing 'without a transfer fee' on May 29, has agreed to pay Leverkusen up to 4 million euros ($4.6 million) for the player to take a full part in the Club World Cup starting in the United States on June 14. Tah's contract with Leverkusen ran to the end of June, meaning he could only join Bayern on a free transfer from July 1 – unless the clubs came to an agreement beforehand. There was little goodwill between the clubs after Bayern's failed attempt to sign Tah – Leverkusen's captain – last season, when Leverkusen chief executive Fernando Carro lashed out against Bayern's Max Eberl. Bayern's public pursuit of Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz this season further inflamed tensions between the rival clubs. Any agreement to let Tah join Bayern before his Leverkusen contract ends would suggest pragmatism has won out at Leverkusen. Real Madrid set the precedent by paying a reported fee of up to 10 million euros ($11.4 million) to get England right back Trent Alexander-Arnold out of his Liverpool contract one month before it was due to expire so he could play at the Club World Cup, rather than waiting to sign him with a transfer fee. Bayern will also need to reach agreement with Hoffenheim if it wants to take Tom Bischof to the tournament. Leverkusen faces a summer of rebuilding following Xabi Alonso's departure as coach, Tah and wing back Jeremie Frimpong 's departures for Bayern and Liverpool, respectively, and Wirtz's expected transfer to Liverpool. Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka suggested Friday he would be open to a switch amid reported interest from AC Milan, a change from his previous position. Leverkusen hired former Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag to replace the Real Madrid-bound Alonso, while it has also signed highly rated teenager Ibrahim Maza from second-division club Hertha Berlin, and 21-year-old defender Tim Oermann from relegated Bochum before promptly loaning him to Austrian champion Sturm Graz. It also loaned promising midfielder Francis Onyeka to Bochum for next season in the second division.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Reports: Bayern agrees deal with Leverkusen to take Tah to Club World Cup
Germany's Jonathan Tah, left, challenges for the ball with Portugal's Nuno Mendes during the Nations League semifinal soccer match between Portugal and Germany at the Munich Football Arena, in Munich, Germany, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) MUNICH (AP) — Bayern Munich has reportedly agreed a deal with Bayer Leverkusen to take Germany defender Jonathan Tah to the Club World Cup. Kicker magazine and other media outlets reported Saturday that Bayern, which had announced Tah's signing 'without a transfer fee' on May 29, has agreed to pay Leverkusen up to 4 million euros ($4.6 million) for the player to take a full part in the Club World Cup starting in the United States on June 14. Advertisement Tah's contract with Leverkusen ran to the end of June, meaning he could only join Bayern on a free transfer from July 1 – unless the clubs came to an agreement beforehand. There was little goodwill between the clubs after Bayern's failed attempt to sign Tah – Leverkusen's captain – last season, when Leverkusen chief executive Fernando Carro lashed out against Bayern's Max Eberl. Bayern's public pursuit of Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz this season further inflamed tensions between the rival clubs. Any agreement to let Tah join Bayern before his Leverkusen contract ends would suggest pragmatism has won out at Leverkusen. Real Madrid set the precedent by paying a reported fee of up to 10 million euros ($11.4 million) to get England right back Trent Alexander-Arnold out of his Liverpool contract one month before it was due to expire so he could play at the Club World Cup, rather than waiting to sign him with a transfer fee. Advertisement Bayern will also need to reach agreement with Hoffenheim if it wants to take Tom Bischof to the tournament. Leverkusen faces a summer of rebuilding following Xabi Alonso's departure as coach, Tah and wing back Jeremie Frimpong 's departures for Bayern and Liverpool, respectively, and Wirtz's expected transfer to Liverpool. Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka suggested Friday he would be open to a switch amid reported interest from AC Milan, a change from his previous position. Leverkusen hired former Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag to replace the Real Madrid-bound Alonso, while it has also signed highly rated teenager Ibrahim Maza from second-division club Hertha Berlin, and 21-year-old defender Tim Oermann from relegated Bochum before promptly loaning him to Austrian champion Sturm Graz. It also loaned promising midfielder Francis Onyeka to Bochum for next season in the second division. ___ AP soccer:
Chicago Tribune
2 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville North's Brooke Welch wears No. 3 like older brother Bryce. But she can accomplish what he didn't.
Naperville North junior forward Brooke Welch's high school career was interrupted shortly after it began. When she was a freshman, Welch suffered a torn ACL just five minutes into the season opener against Barrington. Two other freshmen, Michelle Ruan and Claire DeCook, suffered the same season-ending injuries that year. All three returned the following season, when Welch switched from defender to forward and endeared herself to teammates and coaches. 'Brooke is such a special player,' Naperville North senior defender Emily Buescher said. 'When she comes onto the field, you know that she's going to do exactly what she's asked and she's going to be exactly where we need her to be.' That was the case again during the Class 3A state semifinals at North Central College in Naperville on Friday. Welch won the ball on the right wing and sent a perfect cross to the Tennessee-bound DeCook, who scored with 24:18 left in the first half. That was the first of DeCook's two goals in the Huskies' 2-1 win against Lane. 'It was a great goal,' Welch said. 'I trust my teammates to get in the box anytime anyone gets end line, so I knew someone would be there. 'I just took a quick glance, and I saw that Claire was there. She's proved that she can score, so it was great to be able to play that to her and her finish it. It was nice to see it hit the back of the net, especially in a game as big as this.' Welch's stats don't stand out. She has two goals and one assist for Naperville North (17-5-3), which advanced to play O'Fallon (22-1-1) in the state championship game at 7 p.m. Saturday. But one of her goals was the difference in the Huskies' 1-0 win over Oswego in a regional final. 'She's a kid who will do a 5-yard sprint into the fence, so I think for her to get that (assist) is everything,' Buescher said. 'It was her fulfilling her role. In the sense of our team, she's never been an overlooked player because she is so incredibly special in doing what she's supposed to do.' That's exactly what Welch did to set up DeCook's first goal. 'The defender had the ball at first, and she had to battle to get it back,' DeCook said. 'A lot of people would be just be like, 'Oh, I lost the ball,' and they give up there. But you can always expect Brooke to work hard. It's just that continuous fight throughout the game.' Naperville North coach Steve Goletz loves that. 'Brooke is an incredible kid who gives us such a spark,' Goletz said. 'She's an absolutely selfless kid. 'She gives everything to her teammates, and we're not playing in this game if she doesn't score the goal against Oswego. We're so lucky to have so many kids like Brooke.' Welch said she's lucky to have support from people like her brother Bryce, a former point guard for Naperville North who just completed his freshman year at Iowa Central. He was a fixture at his sister's games last year and was in attendance Friday. 'It was so great to have my brother here to watch me,' Brooke Welch said. 'I picked No. 3 because he was No. 3, so it was nice in a semifinal game to be able to wear his number. He's my best friend and biggest fan.' Bryce Welch was beaming with pride Friday. 'She played great today,' he said. 'It means a lot to be able to see her go out there and do her thing, do what she likes to do.' Bryce Welch never played soccer, but he often served as goalkeeper for his sister's practice sessions and always was ready to give sound advice. 'It was mostly just don't compare yourself to other people when you're trying to get better, especially at a younger age, because she was always younger than me,' he said. 'For her, I always wanted to make it about taking it one day at a time.' Brooke Welch played basketball until she got to high school. There were many days she would play against her brother. 'Bryce and I have always been super competitive,' she said. 'Having an older brother and all his friends around, I feel like I was bound to play a sport, 'It was nice to be able to play with him and learn from him. So I feel like my competitive side definitely comes from competing with my brother.' Now Brooke Welch has a chance to do something her brother didn't — win a state title. 'She battled back so hard from her injury,' Bryce Welch said. 'So to see her with a chance to win a championship is huge.'
