Aptos was given little to no chance of making a Central Coast Section title run this year after it earned the No. 7 seed in the Division III playoffs.
Now, they’ll have a shot this upcoming weekend to hush the critics and make some history all at the same time.
The Mariners advanced to their first-ever section championship game in the program’s history following a decisive 9-2 win over No. 6 Sobrato in the Division III semifinals at Hollister High on Tuesday.
“That’s the goal right now, to go out there and nail that, and put that one in the books,” said Aptos head coach Phil Rojas. “We come out here and we win our division, that’s the start of a powerhouse we can start building…I want people to know we’re coming to play all the time.”
Aptos sophomore pitcher Mya Najera-White tossed a gem after she allowed two runs on four hits and five walks while tallying six strikeouts in Tuesday’s complete game victory.
On offense, senior Bailey Fulton had one triple, one double, two RBIs and scored three runs for the Mariners, who had a total of 14 base hits. Teammates Lilly McGee, Kailani Aguayo, Emma Burgueno and Kalina Healy each had two hits.
Aptos (17-7)—runner-up in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League—will take on No. 4 Westmont (15-14) in the finals at San Jose City College on Saturday at 3pm.
The Warriors—who placed tied for fourth in the Blossom Valley Athletic League Mt. Hamilton Division—is coming off a 2-1 victory over No. 8 Mountain View in Wednesday’s evening’s semifinals.
Prior to that, Westmont took care of business in a 4-1 victory against No. 5 Los Altos in the opening round.
“I feel good about the challenge with my team,” Rojas said. “We’re playing some good ball right now. I feel like if we come play like we did against Sobrato and Alisal, we got a great chance on Saturday.”
Prior to Tuesday’s game, Aptos had made four previous trips to the CCS semifinals. Twice under former coach Pat Bowden in 1978 and ’79, and then again in 1999 with Kurt Talley at the helm. Two decades later, Rojas led the Mariners to the D-II semifinals against Hillsdale in 2019.
This year’s Mariners’ postseason run began with an 8-1 victory over No. 2 Alisal on May 24. Najera-White earned the win, giving up nine hits and just one run while striking out four—giving her a total of 129 strikeouts this season.
“I didn’t expect [Najera-White] to have the kind of season she’s having,” Rojas said. “I thought it was going to be more of a learning curve because she didn’t pitch last year.”
Aptos exploded for six runs in the top of the third inning, including a pair of two-run triples by both Aguayo and Healy, while senior Makenzie Lashley added an RBI single. McGee finished with two doubles and scored twice.
“They’re keeping it together,” Rojas said. “At this point of the season, a lot of teams get burned out. We still have energy, it’s incredible.”
Making contact with the ball hasn’t been an issue for the Mariners this season. Rojas has the players in the hitting cage every day and it’s showing.
In fact, they have six players that are hitting above a .450 average. Burgueno currently has a whopping 37 hits, including four home runs, 18 doubles, 41 RBIs, 30 runs scored and six stolen bases this season.
Plus, the defense has been spot-on and has yet to commit an error in both postseason games.
“I don’t want to jinx it but I want to say that the girls just feel it right now, and I’m just letting them play,” Rojas said.
D-I
At No. 2 Gilroy 3, No. 7 Scotts Valley 1: Junior Gracie Delgado drove in the lone run in the Falcons’ loss to the Mustangs in the quarterfinals on May 24.
Teammate senior Sofie Seese surrendered three earned runs on five hits while tallying four strikeouts in six innings for Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League champion Scotts Valley, which finished with a 21-6-1 overall record this season.
D-IV
No. 3 Woodside 2, No. 2 Watsonville 1: Junior pitcher Amelia Martinez surrendered a pair of unearned runs on five hits while tallying eight strikeouts in the Wildcatz’s loss to the Wildcats in the semifinals on Wednesday afternoon.
Teammate Ashley Jimenez had one hit that drove in junior Mia Espinoza for the ‘Catz’s lone run in the bottom of the seventh inning. Freshman Bella Ruiz, sophomore Esperanza Sigala and Espinoza each recorded a base hit for Watsonville, which finished with a 14-14 overall record this season.
At No. 2 Watsonville 11, No. 7 Cupertino 1 (5 innings): Junior pitcher Amelia Martinez allowed one run on five hits while racking up seven strikeouts in the Wildcatz’s victory over the Pioneers in the quarterfinals on May 24.
Martinez also had three hits, two RBIs and scored a pair of runs, while teammate junior Mia Espinoza had two hits, including one double, one RBI and scored three runs.
Senior Calina Casillas had two hits, while teammates senior Jillian Lerma, sophomore Taylor Alves, sophomore Esperanza Sigala and freshman Bella Ruiz each recorded one base hit.
At No. 3 Woodside 7, No. 6 San Lorenzo Valley 1: Junior Sophia Sarmiento recorded one hit and scored one run in the Cougars’ loss to the Wildcats in the quarterfinals on May 24. Teammate sophomore Olive Colby had one RBI, while freshman Elie Colby contributed one hit for SLV, which finished with a 12-10 overall record this season.
