The Bee’s Softball Top 20: Legend Lisa Fernandez sees Capital Christian’s Tuua at her best
Any day on the softball field is a good day, coaches and athletes say. When your team wins and one of the most famous legends of the sport makes a trip to Sacramento to see you throw a no-hitter, that makes for a memorable afternoon.
For Capital Christian High School sophomore pitching sensation Ayla Tuua, that special day was Thursday..
Former UCLA star pitcher and current Bruins pitching coach and Team USA gold medalist Lisa Fernandez took a drive from Stanford prior to UCLA’s series on The Farm to watch Tuua impress. Last year’s Sacramento Bee Softball Player of the Year was up to the challenge, striking out 14 as the top-ranked Cougars downed No. 15 Vista del Lago 7-0 in a Capital Athletic League contest.
Days earlier, Tuua allowed two hits and struck out eight in a 7-3 nonleague win over No. 5 St. Francis. Tuua is also hitting .486 with six home runs. She sports a 1.45 ERA in the circle with her pitches often hitting 70 mph on the radar gun. The Cougars are 12-2 and 7-0 in the CAL. Only Christian Brother stands in the way of a league title.
Although Tuua has been making headlines with her prowess in the circle and at the plate, sister Allana has played a key role as a senior. She has a .429 average and leads the team with 21 hits and 22 RBIs. Haylie Alkire is also hitting .429. It’s been a team effort for the Cougars, who appear to be the class of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s Division III field.
Delta dog pile
Who’s on top in the Delta League? Everybody.
It’s a four-way race as Pleasant Grove, Elk Grove and St. Francis continue to battle with Sheldon just one game behind and Davis two games back. With one-third of the season still to play, the Delta is up for grabs.
After losing to St. Francis and Sheldon, second-ranked Pleasant Grove responded with five straight wins, including beating Elk Grove and returning the favor against St. Francis last week. Freshman Natalie Broazaitis had three hits and drove in a run in a 3-1 win over Elk Grove, and she had an RBI in the 4-2 win over St. Francis.
Pleasant Grove pulled even with Elk Grove and St. Francis at 5-2 in league play. St. Francis beat Sheldon 5-2 as Claire Krotine had two hits and an RBI. Sophomore Kwinci Brown drilled a solo home run for Sheldon. Elk Grove beat Cosumnes Oaks 14-7, scoring six in the bottom of the sixth inning to seal it.
Ace has 500 Ks
Vacaville and Vanden are playing good ball in the Montecillo Empire League, having split a pair of one-run games.
But the league does not feature a team with a winning record. Vacaville’s Xochitl Atayde hit a major milestone when she struck out her 500th batter. The four-year starter struck out nine Vanden batters in a 1-0, eight-inning win last week.
Hometown Throwdown
For the past 15 years, two Rocklin schools have faced off on the softball field. Whitney and Rocklin high schools call it the “Hometown Throwdown,” and it has become so big that parents set up pop-up tents and BBQ grills hours before the first pitch.
“The whole park is lined with spectators, maybe 400 or more,” Rocklin head coach Jim Albin said. “It’s standing-room only.”
Youth players throughout Placer County often watch the action in their own uniforms for Saturday games at Kathy Lund Park.
“It’s one of the great traditions in our softball rich region that transcends the sport,” Albin said. “And it certainly helps that both teams are among the best programs, year in and year out.”
This year’s event lived up to its billing, punctuated by San Diego State-bound Tylie Kitchen’s three-run home run to key the 4-3 Whitney win. Rocklin’s Syd Barker, an Oklahoma Sooners commit, gave the Thunder hope with two solo home runs, but they were not enough to keep Whitney from taking over the top spot in the Sierra Foothill League and moving up to No. 3 in this week’s Bee rankings.
Kitchen’s third-inning deep fly sent centerfielder Cate Gladden over the fence in a valiant attempt at a sensational catch. But as she landed beyond the fence, the ball came loose from her glove. and Kitchen was awarded a three-run homer.
Pitching was also on display. Whitney senior Hanna Duncan struck out 10 and Rocklin freshman Payton Prior struck out 14. Whitney now leads the “Hometown Throwdown” series 9-6.
Bella Vista uprising
Bella Vista is not a secret anymore. The Broncos (12-3) have taken over the top spot in the Capital Valley Conference with wins this month over Woodcreek, Yuba City, Roseville and Inderkum. The team batting average is an astounding .385. Senior Alyssa Dethlefson is hitting .571 with 25 RBI. She’s 6-0 in the circle with 61 strike outs in 33 innings and has ample support as four junior teammates are hitting .390 or better.
Notes
▪ Roseville catcher Bella Tonso is on a home run watch. She has 12 dingers to lead the section, and her 37 RBIs are one behind Vanessa Keller of Kennedy. Tonso’s teammate, Karisa Avila, leads the Tigers with a .444 average and 12 stolen bases.
▪ Sophomore Caitlin Mayfield’s RBI single was the only run in Pioneer’s 1-0 win over Dixon, causing a two-way tie between the Patriots and Rams in the Golden Empire League. Mayfield is hitting .463.
▪ Look who’s leading the Foothill Valley League. West Park of Roseville, coached by former Placer, Sierra College and Chico State star Hailey Stockman, is 9-3 overall and 4-0 in league. Freshman Jolene White is hitting .556 and sophomore Kayla Bowles is batting .500 for the Panthers.
THE BEE’S TOP 20
SOFTBALL
Records entering Monday
1. Capital Christian (12-2)
2. Pleasant Grove (11-3)
3. Whitney (11-2)
4. Oak Ridge (14-3)
5. St. Francis (13-5)
6. Sutter (18-0)
7. Ponderosa (11-4)
8. Yuba City (13-7)
9. Sheldon (11-9)
10. Vacaville (12-5)
11. Rocklin (9-10)
12. Elk Grove (12-8)
13. Christian Brothers (13-4)
14. Vista del Lago (11-7)
15. East Nicolaus (13-3)
16. Pioneer (12-5)
17. Dixon (12-3)
18. Folsom (10-10)
19. Bella Vista (10-3)
20. Roseville (12-10)
Bubble: Davis (11-5), Inderkum (12-8), Kennedy (12-4), Laguna Creek (8-7), Rosemont ((9-1), West Park (9-3), Wheatland (12-6), Woodland Christian (13-3).
This story was originally published April 23, 2024 at 5:00 AM.