CIF softball playoff scores and schedule: McClatchy goes yard vs. Folsom
The McClatchy Lions were in no hurry to leave the softball field on Wednesday afternoon.
As the sun started to set, the gritty Lions of the Sacramento City Unified School District soaked in their 9-3 victory over the host Folsom Bulldogs in a CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoff opener.
Chains were handed out for the sluggers, and kudos were shared by all for a game and season well done.
And there was a sense of cool and calm at the thought that the Lions have a shot to really rock the large-school bracket on Friday. That’s when No. 9-seeded McClatchy heads to Placer County to take on top-seeded Whitney in a second-round game in this single-elimination tournament.
“We’re a young team with just one senior, and acknowledgements are important,” said longtime Lions coach Chris Abar. “We’re mainly freshmen and sophomores, and we really rely on energy and confidence.”
The coach added, “We’re the underdogs. We have nothing to lose, and we’ve got Whitney next, and our girls couldn’t care less who’s in front of us. We’re going to show up and play hard.”
Abar said that with full respect for Whitney, a powerhouse program for years and the 2026 champions of the power-packed Sierra Foothill League that includes Folsom. His point is that the Lions have a singular focus on doing what they can do.
McClatchy had 11 hits and received home runs from sophomores Jeneyse Morales and Cali Del Mazzio. Del Mazzio, Madelyn Ogatsa, Morales and Elaina Salaguinto each drove in two runs. Leadoff hitter and shortstop Jaydilyn Rogers had a hit, and RBI and a run, and sister Jayeliza Rogers had a hit and a run and played super infield defense.
Also for McClatchy, Knoelle Chandler had two hits, and Ogata earned the win with five innings of work and striking out five. Brooklyn Wells struck out four in her two innings for McClatchy (17-7).
For Folsom, Sophie Green, Faith Best and Devyn Huber had RBIs. Raygan Mercado struck out six and walked none in her 4.2 innings of pitching work for Folsom.
The Lions are a collection of scholars and ballers. The leading hitter is Jayeliza Rogers at .424, and she and her sister lead the team with total hits and runs scored. The team’s lone senior, Jayeliza wears jersey No. 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson, who broke the Major League Baseball color barrier in 1947. Every MLB team has retired Robinson’s No. 42.
Nia McGee scored two runs for McClatchy, showcasing her speed, and no wonder. Her father, Jim McGee, won the CIF state 100-meter dash championship for Sacramento High School 30 years ago next month. He is a counselor at Burbank High in Sacramento, and he stood as a proud father, raving that his sophomore daughter is a better athlete and student than he ever was.
Abar, the McClatchy coach, is a product of the school, and he, too, stands as a proud man overlooking his upstart bunch. He played football at McClatchy for Rob Feickert, the longtime Lions athletic director who coached a young Jim McGee at Sac High. There is a healthy culture on the storied 89-year campus in athletics, particularly girls basketball and baseball.
“We have a bright future here, and they have no clue the magnitude of what they can do,” Abar said of his team. “That’s what I’m amazed about. My high school coaches are why I got into coaching. Coaches can change the direction of a lot of youth, and McClatchy has something very, very special. We all support each other.”
CIF Sac-Joaquin Section softball playoffs
Division I
McClatchy 9, Folsom 3
Inderkum 9, Gregori 5
Oak Ridge 5, Lincoln-Stockton 2
Davis 10, Mountain House 0
Franklin 9, Enochs 1
Rodriguez 9, Pleasant Grove 2
Sheldon 14, Edison 2
Friday’s second round
No. 9 McClatchy at No. 1 Whitney
No. 5 Inderkum at No. 4 Oak Ridge
No. 6 Franklin at No. 3 Davis
No. 7 Rodriguez at No. 2 Sheldon
Division II
West Park 4, Woodcreek 2
St. Francis 2, Kimball 0
Elk Grove 11, St. Mary’s 0
Rocklin 7, Atwater 2
Merced 6, Lodi 5
Vacaville 10, Laguna Creek 0
Del Oro 12, Cosumnes Oaks 0
Friday’s second round
No. 8 West Park at No. 1 Tracy
No. 12 St. Francis at No. 4 Elk Grove
No. 6 Merced at No. 3 Rocklin
No. 7 Vacaville at No. 2 Del Oro
Division III
Destiny Christian 16, Bear Creek 1
Vista del Lago 13, Ceres 3
Dixon 12, Sierra 2
Manteca 17, Buhach Colony 0
Vanden 14, El Capitan 0
Antelope 6, Patterson 5
Christian Brothers 8, River Valley 2
Ponderosa 15, Johnson 0
Friday’s second round
No. 9 Vista del Lago at No. 1 Destiny Christian
No. 5 Dixon at No. 4 Manteca
No. 6 Antelope at No. 3 Vanden
No. 7 Christian Brothers at No. 2 Ponderosa
Division IV
Yuba City 4, East Union 3
Wood 4, Oakmont 1
Rio Linda 10, Nevada Union 7
Oakdale 11, Placer 1
Del Campo 24, Los Banos 3
Roseville 11, Lindhurst 1
Central Catholic 13, Lathrop 3
Friday’s second round
No. 9 Yuba City at No. 1 Pioneer
No. 4 Wood at No. 4 Rio Linda
No. 6 Del Campo at No. 3 Oakdale
No. 7 Roseville at No. 2 Central Catholic
Division V
Hughson 14, Mesa Verde 0
Orestimba 13, Union Mine 10
Casa Roble 9, Wheatland 3
Liberty Ranch 18, Woodland 0
Sutter 10., Galt 0
Lincoln 10, Ripon 3
Escalon 11, Woodland Christian 0
Calaveras 8, Livingston 0
Friday’s second round
No. 8 Orestimba at No. 1 Hughson
No. 5 Casa Roble at No. 4 Liberty Ranch
No. 11 Lincoln at No. 3 Sutter
No. 7 Escalon at No. 2 Calaveras
Division VI
Summerville 11, Stone Ridge Christian 4
Hilmar 5, Mariposa County 0
Bradshaw Christian 19, Riverbank 0
Linden 16, Colfax 0
Bear River 9, Bret Harte 1
Ben Holt 14, Western Sierra 0
Argonaut 23, Big Valley 3
Friday’s second round
No. 9 Summerville at No. 1 Amador
No. 5 Hilmar at No. 4 Bradshaw Christian
No. 6 Bear River at No. 3 Linden
No. 7 Ben Holt at No. 2 Argonaut
Division VII
Rio Vista def. Delta Charter, forfeit
Denair 22, Aspire 0
Leroy Greene 30, Humphreys Charter 7
Buckingham 22, Elite 0
Golden Sierra def. Millennium, forfeit
Vacaville Christian 11, Esparto 0
Elliot Christian 15, Valley Christian 5
Friday’s second round
No. 8 Rio Vista at No. 1 Le Grand
No. 5 Denair at No. 4 Leroy Greene
No. 6 Golden Sierra at No. 3 Buckingham
No. 7 Vacaville Christian at No. 2 Elliot Christian