Softball: Spartans A Step Away From Title Berth

Every year under coach KC Mathews, the Spartans have advanced just a little bit deeper into the postseason.

In Mathews’ first year at the helm – 2008 -- the Spartans made the playoffs after posting three straight one-win seasons in the Rio Hondo League. The year after, they went from one-and-done to the second round of the playoffs. And last season, the Spartans stormed their way to the CIF-Southern Section Division 5 semifinals.

And even though the Spartans came up short of the championship game, losing 3-1 to South Hills, the stage was set for softball at La Canada to make that final leap from Rio Hondo League also-ran to divisional powerhouse.

The Spartans began the year ranked No. 1 in Division 5, and they hovered near the top of the rankings all season long with championship aspirations growing after every lopsided win. And now they’re back in the semifinals as they host South El Monte of the Mission Valley League on Tuesday at 3:15 p.m. If the Spartans win, they’ll be in the Division 5 finals, which will take place either Friday or Saturday at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine.

“This is our year; we’ve been wanting it all year,” senior Megan Siepler said after the Spartans’ 8-1 quarterfinal win over Katella last Thursday. “We’ve been working for this since the beginning and we’re finally here. We’re ready, and we can’t wait to do it.”

The Spartans certainly have played like a team on a mission throughout the playoffs. Senior hurler Lauren O’Leary pitched a perfect game against Ramona Convent in the first round, and Spartans outscored Hemet and Katella, 15-1, in their following two wins.

“We’re pumped,” said Siepler, who had two doubles and four RBIs in the win over Katella. “I feel like we have a lot of confidence in ourselves right now. We’ve been hitting extremely well. We’ve been fielding well."

They’ve also been lights-out in the circle. O’Leary’s ERA now stands at a microscopic 0.33, and she’s currently riding a streak of seven straight starts without giving up an earned run. And though she pitched a perfect game the week before, her performance against Katella might have been the more impressive outing.

The Knights entered Thursday’s game with a .408 batting average and only 38 strikeouts as a team in 27 games. Yet after a round against O’Leary, the Knights’ upped their K total by more than 25 percent as O’Leary recorded 10 punchouts.

In South El Monte (16-10) O’Leary faces another club packed with solid hitters that rarely whiff. The Eagles own a team batting average of .314 and only one player the roster has double-digit strikeouts.

Senior shortstop Jasmine Vargas and senior first baseman Salina Gonzales lead the team with .406 and .397 batting averages, respectively. Gonzales ranks first on the club with 24 RBIs, while Vargas is tied for first with junior Demi Nguyen in home runs with three.