California High of Whittier was a representative CIF softball playoff team.
It had defeated Santa Monica in a tournament game on March 6, 5-4. and arrived here May 16 with a pitcher who had 23 complete games on her resume and a solid defense.
But the Condors were no match for Samohi’s Lady Vikings, who also had strong pitching and solid defense plus one of the better-hitting lineups in Debbie Skaggs’ 20 years as the coach.
And so, it was Samohi that won the first round game, 6-0 behind the pitching of Celisha Walker and an attack that produced all the runs in the first four innings.
Samohi committed only one error and backed Walker with some outstanding defensive plays. But the fans were entertained mostly by Samohi’s power display.
In the first inning Kylie Nakao singled in a run. In the second freshman Meghan Bradley doubled in another, stroking a ball down the left field line. It was an excellent display of hitting for the lefthanded batter who didn’t try to pull a fastball but rather went with the pitch.
Then it was Emma Woo’s turn to put on a show. The Viking’s sophomore catcher hit a ball so far over the centerfielder’s head that she was able to circle the bases for an inside-the-park home run.
Before the inning was over junior Yaneth Guzman doubled in another.
Having established its superiority, Samohi added two more runs in the fourth as Woo singled in one and Walker tripled to bring in another.
Skaggs was able to bring in several reserves for the final few innings, a rarity in a playoff game.
Samohi’s next opponent was scheduled to be Sonora High.
The Vikings, who compiled a 10-0 Ocean League record for the fourth consecutive season, shut out an opponent for the fifth straight game.Walker, a sophomore who arrived this season, had six strikeouts in winning her 15th game, and Samohi’s overall record improved to 22-8.
