Sierra takes down Mt. SAC 4-2 to advance to championship Sunday
Pitcher Amaya Sutton led the Wolverines and allowed just two hits in the win.
BAKERSFIELD - Sierra College keeps on rolling. The Wolverines took down Southern California's top-seeded Mt. San Antonio College Mounties 4-2 to advance to the 2022 CCCAA Softball Championship game.
The win sets up an all-Northern California showdown between the #1 seed College of San Mateo Bulldogs and the #3 Wolverines tomorrow at noon. The Bulldogs are the last remaining undefeated team in the tournament and need just one win over Sierra to claim the 2022 crown. The Wolverines will have to win the game at noon to force a winner-take-all game for the title at 3 p.m.
Pitcher Amaya Sutton did all she could to shut down one of the top offensive squads in the state. Sutton gave up just two hits, struck out five, and allowed just one earned run to earn her 26th win of the season and fifth complete game. The freshman contributed in a big way in a pair of wins for the Wolverines on Saturday. Along with her game two accolades, she pitched six and two-thirds innings and allowed just two earned runs in the Wolverines' 4-2 over Cypress earlier in the day.
Amaya Sutton allowed just 2 hits and 1 earned run with 5 strikeouts in @SierraSports 4-2 win over Mt. SAC. pic.twitter.com/H9Ngezavk1
— CCCAA Sports (@CCCAASports) May 22, 2022
Both teams stayed off the board until the fifth inning when Darcy Gillan broke the stalemate with a single up the middle that sent Eliana Enriquez and Kayley Vaillette home for the 2-0 advantage. Jada Bolar stepped up next and kept the momentum rolling singling in Meadow Topete to extend the lead to 3-0. A sacrifice fly by Enriquez plated Jazzy Smith the following inning to put more pressure on the Mounties.
Mt. SAC put up a fight in the final two innings to try to even the score. An infield error scored Arely Coronado in the sixth gave the Mounties faithful hope for a comeback in the final inning. With two outs in the seventh, pinch hitter Alyssa Gonzalez hit a solo shot over the left-center wall to spark some life in the Mounties. But Sutton forced the next batter to ground out to third to secure the victory.
Sunday will place Sierra and San Mateo at odds for the second time this season. The Wolverines edged out the Bulldogs in walk-off fashion 2-1 when the squad met back on February 19, giving San Mateo one of its only three losses this season.
The Bulldogs have looked sharp throughout the tournament. They beat Santiago Canyon 11-10 in an offensive slugfest in their tournament opener, added a 7-3 win over Cypress on Friday, and took down Mt. SAC 4-1 in the semifinals.
(Anthony Avila, CCCAA)