There was some doubt about the outcome of the Western League softball race until Venice High took charge.
Led by the hitting and pitching of Danielle Mestas, Venice defeated Palisades, 3-0, and Hamilton, 6-3, and improved its league record to 11-1.
Second place Westchester has three league losses and Palisades has five.
Venice, which is 17-3-1 overall, has had some outstanding individual performances. Mestas is batting .578 and has a 9-3 pitching record with 79 strikeouts in 70 innings. Georgie Dominguez has pitched the team’s eight other wins. Michelle Ayer is hitting .541.
In other Westside softball…
Brentwood lost to Campbell Hall, 5-0, and fell to 2-4 in the Alpha League, leaving its playoff chances in jeopardy. Crossroads is 0-5 in the same league.
Santa Monica had a 10-0 win over Beverly Hills followed by a 13-0 win over Hawthorne. The Vikings are 22-2 overall, 8-0 in the Ocean League.
