NCS softball roundup: Cardinal Newman cruises to opening win

After a break of 10 days between games, No. 5 Cardinal Newman softball coach Bill Vreeland said he worried his host Cardinals might be rusty in a first round North Coast Section Division 4 game against No. 12 Fort Bragg on Wednesday.

As it turned out, there was no need for Vreeland to be anxious as the Cardinals won 10-0 in a five-inning game shortened by the 10-run rule. Cardinal Newman (12-12) plays at No. 4 Berean Christian (Walnut Creek) on Saturday at 4 p.m. in a quarterfinal matchup.

“We were able to get a run across in the first inning to get some rhythm going,” Vreeland said. “As long as we can keep this tempo up and play catch we have a chance.”

Cardinal Newman scored five runs in the fifth, including two-out back-to-back homers by Haley Titone (two-run) and Erin Schnabel (solo) to make it a 6-0 Cardinals lead.

“That inning blew the game open,” Vreeland said. “We hit good pitches hard.”

Meanwhile, Fort Bragg (9-9) had trouble squaring up against Cardinal Newman starter Keegan Smith, who went five innings, giving up zero runs and two hits.

“Keegan did a good job like she usually does,” Vreeland said. “She did a good job keeping the ball down.”

Cardinal Newman was led by Titone (3-3, HR, double, 4 RBIs, run), Schnabel (2-3, HR, RBI, run), and Mikayla McCormick (3-4, double, 2 RBIs, 2 runs).

Casa Grande 1, Antioch 0

In a Division 2 game, the visiting No. 14 Gauchos (15-7) pulled a major upset against the No. 3 Panthers (19-6) by scoring a run in the top of the seventh to advance to the quarterfinals against No. 6 Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) at noon Saturday.

“This was a pretty big win for the program. It has been seven years since we have been in the NCS playoffs and eight years since a win in the NCS,” Casa Grande coach Scott Sievers said. “It's nice to be still standing.”

Casa Grande scored the winning run in the top of the seventh inning after Meghan Bendik walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Katie Humphreys drove in Bendik with a single up the middle.

Humphreys, the Casa Grande starter, retired Antioch in the bottom of the seventh for the win. Humphries went seven innings and gave up no runs, one hit and struck out 11.

“Katie's rise-ball and curveball were unhittable,” Sievers said. “She was working at the knees all day.”

Casa Grande left fielder Sam Dedrickson ended an Antioch rally in the fourth inning with runners on second and third with one out. Dedrickson caught a shallow fly ball and threw out the tagging Panthers runner from third at the plate to keep the game scoreless.

Analy 20, Miramonte 0

The No. 5 Tigers (18-8) went on a scoring parade and ended the game after five innings against an overmatched No. 12 Matadors (5-11) of Orinda in a Division 3 opening-round game.

“Our kids hit well. Miramonte's pitcher was all over the place so our batters had to have some discipline to wait for a pitch you could hit,” Analy coach Nick Houtz said. “I felt bad for them (Miramonte). We didn't try and run up the score.”

Carson Rasmussen pitched a complete game for Analy, surrendering one hit in five innings while striking out 10.

“Miramonte couldn't hit Carson,” Houtz said. “She was hitting her spots.”

Analy will play at No. 4 Sonoma Valley at 5 p.m. Friday in a quarterfinal. In the five meetings between the Sonoma County League rivals, the Dragons have won three of them, including a 14-1 drubbing at Analy during their last meeting at the SCL postseason tournament.

“We match up really well with each other,” Houtz said. “It will be a tough game. Sonoma has some hitters. I'm hoping my girls want it more than them. My kids have got to come to play because I know Sonoma will.”

Alameda 6, Montgomery 4

The host No. 5 Vikings (21-6) had a disappointing end to their season, losing to the underdog No. 12 Hornets (15-9) in a Division 2 opener.

Alameda scored four runs in the second inning and two in the fourth for a 6-1 lead. The Vikings rallied with a run in the sixth and two in the seventh, but it was too little, too late.

Montgomery coach Mike Malvino was unable to be reached after the game.