|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
When the North Coast Section Division I softball seedings came out, somehow Foothill was seeded No. 13 in the 16-team field – and many, including myself, considered it a huge slight.
And the Falcons made their supporters look good when they beat No. 4 Castro Valley in the first round, then No. 5 California in the second round.
The prize for the achievement was a semifinal date with top-seeded Liberty. The Falcons lost 3-1 to the eventual champion, but by virtue of earning a spot in the semifinals, Foothill moved on to the third-place game and a chance to advance to the CIF NorCal playoffs.
If there’s been one constant for the Falcons, it has been a strong offense with very few exceptions.
In the third-place game, they would need it against No. 2 Livermore.
In a game with the final score more comparable to a football game than a softball contest, the Falcons pounded out 17 hits and took third place with a 16-13 final over Livermore.
As a result, the Falcons did advance to CIF NorCal Division II as the No. 8 seed and were opening play Tuesday at top-seeded Vanden – with the result pending.
In the win over Livermore, the Falcons scored in every inning but the seventh, finishing with a line score of 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 0 = 16 | 17 | 5.
And it was the big three that did most of the damage as they have throughout the year. Ellie Novitske had a pair of hits and drove in a run.
From there it was the Burdick sisters that got it done.
Sophia Burdick had four hits, scored three runs, drove in three, and had a double – and she was looking up at the performance from sister Kaycie.
Kaycie Burdick – who was the Northern California Offensive Player of the Year – was 5-for-5, scored three times, drove in six runs, had two triples and added a two-run home run for good measure.
The trio also saw sophomore Brea Olsen finish with three hits, score three times and drive in a pair.
The victory set up a showdown with No. 1 seed Vanden, a team that is 21-4 and rolled through their section playoffs averaging over 10 runs a game.
And youth is served for Vanden.
Sophomore Niayli Calvo is the leading hitter with a .717 average going 43-for-60 on the season. She drove in 31 runs, had 18 doubles, two triples, and hit six home runs.
Amiya Clay is a freshman who hit .462 this year with 11 RBI, and KJ Horton is also a freshman that hit .457 and drove in 29 runs.
In the circle, senior Isabella Cueva is 15-2 this year with an ERA of 1.59. She struck out 81 batters in 118 innings, while walking 44 batters.
Season over!
With the NorCal baseball and softball playoffs ending this weekend, it brings to a close the 2024-25 prep season.
This column will continue with the focus on local sports as always, be it youth, high school or even college athletics involving our local high school athletics.
If you have a story idea for me, please let me know at acesmag@aol.com.
This is a great time of year to get caught up with what’s going on in local sports, including new facilities or new sports. Shoot me an email and let’s talk!
As far as when high school sports start up again, it will be here before you know it as the first football games of the season start Aug. 29.
Editor’s note: Dennis Miller is a contributing sports writer for Embarcadero Media Foundation’s East Bay Division. To contact him about his Pleasanton Preps column, email acesmag@aol.com.
Livermore poised to resist potential reuse of former Dublin prison as ICE facilityJune 14, 2026 6:20 pm