The early San Diego Section power rankings are definitely kind to South County high school softball teams and, in particular, to the Metro-Mesa League.
Bonita Vista and Mater Dei Catholic, both with 10-2 records, entered the week as the section’s No.1 and No. 2 ranked teams. It’s a prestigious honor and one not to be overlooked.
The Lady Barons defeated visiting Valhalla, 3-0, on March 27 to move up in the pecking order to No. 1. Sophomore Ilma Jurado knocked in two runs while junior Leah Letuli had one RBI.
Junior Story Reyes scored two runs while senior Danica Aboytes tossed a two-hit shutout with seven strikeouts.
Aboytes improved her season record to 3-1 with a 1.66 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 38 innings.
The BV pitching corps appears deep. Sophomore Noelle Kalavi is 3-0 with a 0.72 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 9.2 innings. Senior Natalie Gonzalez is also 3-1 wth a 1.25 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 28 innings.
Hitting standouts for the Lady Barons include junior Ariana Magdaleno (0.469, eight RBI, one home run), Aboytes (0.423, one home run), senior Olympian Jara (0.361, six RBI, one home run), junior Kianna Balajadia-Brooks (9.344), Letuli (0.333, 10 RBI, one home run) and sophomore Sabrina Perez (0.308, seven RBI, one home run).
Bonita Vista is hitting 0.286 as a team with 22 doubles, six triples and five home runs. The Lady Barons boast a collective 1.35 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 72.2 innings.
Mater Dei Catholic has pounded out 32 doubles and 10 home runs with a team 0.331 batting average.
Leaders include sophomore Arri Romero (0.415, 15 TBI, three home runs), junior Gigi Flores (0.412, 10 RBI), sophomore Charlize Masingale (0.395, eight RBI, one home run), junior Bella Harris (0.351, five RBI, one home run) and senior Analesse Garcia (0.333).
Romero is 9-0 with a 0.92 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 45.2 innings. As a team, the Lady Crusaders boast a 1.89 team ERA with 80 strikeouts in 77.2 innings.
Just missing the Top 10 cut-off are No. 11 Otay Ranch (5-3-1), No. 15 Eastlake (9-4-1) and No. 18 Sweetwater (9-0-1).
Senior Kaylin Phillips leads Otay Ranch with a 0.433 hitting average and 10 RBI. Sophomore Scarlett Martinez (2-0) has logged 23 strikeouts in 21.2 innings with a 1.94 ERA.
Senior Mackenzie Olsenskie tops Eastlake with a 0.450 hitting average while junior Addison Suriano has notched 41 strikeouts in 45.2 innings with a 1.99 ERA.
Powering Sweetwater’s current eight-game winning streak are freshman Aolani Aguilar (0.591, 12 RBI) and senior Tatyana Mosqueda (43 strikeouts in 40 innings, 7-0 record, 1.58 ERA).
San Diego Section Rankings
Top 30 MaxPreps: 1. Bonita Vista 10-2, 2. Mater Dei Catholic 10-2, 3. Christian 14-3-1, 4. Poway 9-2, 5. Cathedral Catholic 8-3, 6. Imperial 11-3, 7. Pt Loma 12-2-1, 8. Escondido Charter 11-2, 9. Rancho Buena Vista 7-4, 10. West Hills 7-3-1, 11. Otay Ranch 5-3-1, 12. La Costa Canyon 8-4-1, 13. San Dieguito Academy 9-1-1, 14. San Marcos 8-6-0, 15. Eastlake 9-4-1, 16. Santana 7-4-0, 17. Mission Hills 7-6-0, 18. Sweetwater 9-0-1, 19. Mission Bay 7-3-0, 20. Tri-City Christian 6-1-1, 21. Scripps Ranch 6-3-0, 22. Westview 7-4-1, 23. Del Norte 6-6-1, 24. El Camino 8-4-0, 25. San Pasqual 6-5-0, 26. Central Union 5-3-0, 27. Canyon Hills 6-4-0, 28. Coastal Academy 5-2-0, 29. Torrey Pines 6-7-0, 30. Bishop’s 6-2-1.
Others: 43. Montgomery 9-4-0, 44. Chula Vista 5-3-0, 46. San Ysidro 6-2-0
