Prep softball rankings: Vanden moves up; Elk Grove still rolling; Roseville looks tough

The three remaining undefeated high school softball teams picked up big wins last week, none bigger than the Vanden Vikings’ 7-1 victory over host Sheldon. Vikings pitcher Hazyl Gray was dealing from the circle, keeping the Sheldon batters off-balance and guessing. The Santa Clara commit scattered five hits and scored a run for the Vikings. Teammate Keira Cahalan drilled a two-run homer to seal the Huskies’ fate. Vanden took over the No. 5 spot in this week’s Top 20 softball rankings and is 5-0 so far.

In another large-school battle between two unbeaten teams, an improved No. 8 Vista del Lago (7-1-1) squad suffered its first defeat. But it took No. 1 Elk Grove (10-0) to do it. Vista sophomore pitcher Cai Charlize continued to impress, limiting the Herd to three hits. Elk Grove ace Aissa Silva struck out 13 batters and gave up just four hits. She’s still averaging two strikeouts per inning. Sophomore Katelyn Maciel’s base hit in the second inning drove the only two runs of the game.

How about the run of success in Elk Grove! The softball and baseball teams are both ranked No. 1. And the boys’ basketball team just won a state title. These are heady times for the Herd.

The biggest little game in Northern California was played last week in Wheatland, where the left field terrain slopes noticeably upward for the last 25 feet toward a big red barn, and the school garden is just beyond the outfield fence. The No. 17-ranked Pirates suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of the visiting 11th-ranked East Nicolaus Spartans. It came down to a bases-loaded fly ball out to end the game. Remmington Hewitt’s two-run double in the second inning was the big blow but her bid for a home run in the sixth was ruined by a beautiful leaping catch high above the fence by Wheatland freshman right fielder Chasidy Sills. The grab brought the crowd to its feet. Pirate catcher and Utah State commit Zereniti Souza is hitting .533 with three home runs.

Meika Lauppe struck out nine Pirates. She and Danni Farris, both juniors, spin it in the mid 60s with late movement. East Nicolaus may just be sporting one of the very best pitching duos in our area. That duo will be tested as the Spartans play Vanden and Sutter in the weeks ahead. Sophomore Brenna Herring pitched well for Wheatland.

In another key stretch, No. 4 Roseville shut out Antelope and No. 18 Woodcreek. Power pitcher Malaya Johnson gave up just three hits and struck out 24 batters in the two wins. Shortstop Shaylen McDowell continued to impress with her play at shortstop and is hitting .583 with two home runs. Johnson and McDowell will team up again next year at UC Santa Barbara.

Did we miss something? Find Pete Dufour on Twitter (@Pete24Dufour) or Hit me on Twitter (@Pete24Dufour) or email PeteBeeSports@gmail.com.

Cat Claws

After losing five in a row to start the season, the Franklin Wildcat girls have gone wild! They have scored 64 runs during a four-game winning streak and have clawed their way back to a 4-5 record on the year. Kealani Nitta leads the team with a .643 average.

Officials Needed

Have you noticed all the “We’re Hiring” signs everywhere you go? As the group leader of the Sacramento area high school softball officials, I’m pondering the idea of having willing officials post such a notice on the backstops behind them. Got a complaint about a call? “We’re hiring!” Many of our JV games have had to be canceled and many more varsity games have had only one umpire. It’s a national problem. If you can make a great call from your folding chair 90 feet away looking through a chain link fence into the sun, you’re just what we need! Email me and we’ll get you started with summer ball.

In one game last week, the average age of the officials on the field was 73. The plate umpire suffered a badly bruised arm in a previous game which had to be wrapped. Then during this game, his other arm was struck and it too had to be wrapped to stop the bleeding. He toughed out because there were no other umpires available that day. He’s 78 years old. If you would like to try your hand at umpiring, contact ncoa.info to sign up.

A shout out to our high school coaches in the Sacramento area. We have very few issues with coaches as the vast majority of them understand that these games are an extension of the classroom. Our coaches are the best examples of the code of conduct that is found in the rule book. With what they have been through during the pandemic, we should all be grateful they have continued to guide these young student athletes.

Serve, Protect, Community, Coach

Coach Dustin Smith at Placer is not just your average high school coach. He is trying to build up a program that has had only moderate success over the years and instill a sense of pride. It’s similar in some respects to his regular job patrolling the Del Paso Heights area as a police officer, a night beat he has had for the last 23 years.

“When I go out to patrol, shop owners, people on the street — even someone I may have arrested in the past — there’s not a single person I come across who doesn’t know me,” Smith said. “I take pride in that community and try to have a positive impact.”

Smith works to instill pride in his players while gaining community support for the facilities at Placer field. He also coaches a 10-and-under softball team.

“Our players don’t come from top competitive travel ball ranks, they play rec ball for fun in the summer,” Smith said. “And fun is the best thing to play for, especially when you see their growth and individual progress during the year. We have a great group of girls who are trying to do things the right way and take pride in their program. I could not be prouder.”

At Colfax on Saturday, Placer picked up two runs in the final inning to top the Falcons 5-4. Freshman Sydni Nitta is hitting .500 for the Hillmen and senior Maci Fenton is batting .471.

Book it

Scorekeeping is a chore, and God bless the volunteers who sit at the fence each game and enter all the data into the book. But these volunteers need some support from the coaches. We are seeing discrepancies on hits, errors and earned runs in the same game. Some helpful notes: If a hard ground ball goes right between an infielder’s legs and under her glove, that’s an error. If the same ball takes a late bounce and goes out of reach, that’s scored as a hit. A batter who gets a base hit and moves up to second on the outfielder’s throw to another base is credited with a single, not a double. If a batter hits a ground ball to shortstop and the lead runner is forced at second base, that’s a “fielder’s choice,” not a hit, even though the batter is safe at first. When an outfielder sprints a long way to try and flag down a well hit ball which goes off the tip of her outstretched glove, that should be ruled a hit, even though it touched her glove. Teams often rely on wonderful parent volunteers who honestly just need to be coached up on these things so we can have reliable, meaningful stats to report.

SacBee Top 20

1. Elk Grove (10-0)

2. Del Oro (12-1)

3. St. Francis (6-1)

4. Roseville (7-2)

5. Vanden (5-0)

6. Sheldon (4-3)

7. Folsom (5-1-1)

8. Vista del Lago (7-1)

9. Rocklin (5-7)

10. Sutter (14-1)

11. East Nicolaus (9-0)

12. Whitney (3-4)

13. Granite Bay (7-2)

14. Pleasant Grove (4-4)

15. Inderkum (11-3)

16. Ponderosa (8-3-1)

17. Wheatland (11-1)

18. Woodcreek (8-3)

19. Lincoln (5-6)

20. Oakmont (6-3)

Bubble teams: Antelope (6-7), Bella Vista (8-4) Casa Roble (8-3), Dixon (6-1), Franklin (4-5) Marysville (7-3), McClatchy (4-1), Monterey Trail (7-3), Oak Ridge (7-2)

This story was originally published March 29, 2022 at 8:27 AM.