A look at the CIF-SS Div. 8 softball title game between Hesperia Christian & Jurupa Valley - Yahoo Sports
Advertisement

A look at the CIF-SS Div. 8 softball title game between Hesperia Christian & Jurupa Valley

jose quintero, victorville daily press
·4 min read

Will the third time be the charm?

The Hesperia Christian softball team is looking to capture school history Friday morning.

The Patriots are set to take on Jurupa Valley for the CIF-Southern Section Division 8 championship at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine.

It’s the third time in school history that Hesperia Christian will compete for a CIF-SS softball title. The last title game appearance came in 2009, a 2-0 loss to Rosamond, and the first was in 1994, which was a 7-5 loss to Linfield.

It’s the second consecutive season that a Hesperia Christian team will compete for a CIF-SS title on the diamond. Hesperia Christian’s baseball team reached the Division 6 championship game.

Eight-Clap: Oak Hills running back Karson Cox commits to UCLA

Hesperia Christian (18-5) is also the first softball team from the High Desert to reach a championship game since Sultana captured the Division 3 title.

First pitch is scheduled for 10 a.m.

Here’s what you need to know about the Division 8 championship game between Hesperia Christian and Jurupa Valley.

How they got here

The Patriots are the No. 1 seed in the Division 8 bracket while Jurupa Valley (19-12) is the No. 2 team.

Hesperia Christian's Gabby Stoops celebrates with Macy Piorkowski after beating St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy 19-2 in the first round of CIF-Southern Section Division 8 Championships on Thursday, May 3, 2024 in Hesperia.
Hesperia Christian's Gabby Stoops celebrates with Macy Piorkowski after beating St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy 19-2 in the first round of CIF-Southern Section Division 8 Championships on Thursday, May 3, 2024 in Hesperia.

Hesperia Christian routed St. Pius X-St. Matthias 19-2 in the first round and followed that up with a 17-8 victory over Cornerstone Christian in the quarterfinals. Jurupa Valley beat Compton Early College 17-0 in the first round and then Archer School for Girls 18-7 in the quarterfinals.

Those pair of lopsided victories set the stage for semifinal matchups that ended with significantly closer scores.

Hesperia Christian shutout Temecula Prep 7-0 as Macy Piorkowski allowed just two hits and struck out 14 batters. Jurupa Valley cut the cord on hopes of a title game showdown between High Desert teams, with a 10-2 victory over Excelsior in the other semifinals game.

Youthful leaders

Both offenses are led by several underclass athletes — sophomores and freshmen to be exact.

For Hesperia Christian, Edin Skinner, a sophomore, leads the offense with a .609 batting average, four home runs, 34 RBIs, 49 runs and 17 stolen bases.

Skinner is one of three standout sophomores on the squad. Hailey Hoffman is third on the team with a .491 average, to go along with 27 RBIs, 18 runs and 11 stolen bases. Elise VanderWeide is right behind with a .451 batting average and is tied with Skinner for the team lead with four home runs. VanderWeide also has 28 RBIs, 36 runs and a team-high 22 stolen bases.

But the Patriots also have a star freshman in Riley Piorkowski, who is second on the team with a .585 batting average. Riley Piorkowski, Macy’s younger sister, also has two home runs, 27 RBIs, 38 runs and 12 stolen bases on the season.

Leading the way for Jurupa Valley, Samantha Amancio, a freshman, leads the team with 34 hits, 34 runs and 23 stolen bases. Amancio has a .479 batting average to go along with a home run, six triples and 12 RBIs.

Veronica Montoya, a sophomore, and Sophia Padilla, a freshman, both lead the team with 17 RBIs.

In the circle

Macy Piorkowski has been stellar in the circle in three playoff victories for the Patriots with 28 strikeouts and just one earned run over 19 innings.

On the season, Macy Piorkowski, a senior, leads Hesperia Christian with a 10-4 record, 2.95 ERA and 104 strikeouts over 92.2 innings.

Hesperia Christian's Macy Piorkowski throws a pitch during the first round of CIF-Southern Section Division 8 Championships against St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy on Thursday, May 3, 2024 in Hesperia. Hesperia Christian defeated St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy 19-2 to advance to the quarter final.
Hesperia Christian's Macy Piorkowski throws a pitch during the first round of CIF-Southern Section Division 8 Championships against St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy on Thursday, May 3, 2024 in Hesperia. Hesperia Christian defeated St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy 19-2 to advance to the quarter final.

For Jurupa Valley, Taylor Martin, a sophomore, is expected to start in the circle. In three playoff games, Martin has tossed 19 innings with 36 strikeouts and nine earned runs allowed. On the season, Martin has a 3.39 ERA with 138 strikeouts over 82.2 innings.

A bit more to know

  • Both teams have one opponent in common this season. Hesperia Christian beat Excelsior 10-6 back on March 7. Jurupa Valley beat Excelsior 10-2 in the semifinals.

  • Hesperia Christian rides an eight-game winning streak entering the title game.

  • Both teams have huge run differentials on the season. Hesperia Christian is at a plus-192 differential, while Jurupa Valley is at 126. Hesperia Christian has scored 306 runs and allowed 114 in 23 games. In 31 games, Jurupa Valley has scored 280 and allowed 154.

  • Hesperia Christian captured the Agape League title with a 5-1 record, while Jurupa Valley went 13-2 while claiming the Mountain Valley League title.

  • Hesperia Christian enters the title game with a ranking of 413th in California, according to MaxPreps.com, while Jurupa Valley is at 563rd.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Hesperia Christian locked in for the CIF-SS Div. 8 softball title game