CIF: Krystek provides go-ahead punch to spark Patriots

By Adam Paul
Updated: May 20, 2025

2025 EAST COUNTY SOFTBALL
CIF-San Diego Section Championships

By Adam Paul

Open Division

#4 CHRISTIAN 7, #5 CATHEDRAL CATHOLIC 4 – With the score all knotted at 2-2 the Christian Patriots stole all the momentum when Tyler Krystek belted her first home run of the season a three shot over the center field fence to give the Patriots the lead in one that they wouldn’t relinquish on their way to the huge home victory over league foe Cathedral Catholic on Tuesday at Roma Dawson Field.

Not only did Krystek belt a homerun but Alyssa McCurty would help her own cause as she blasted a pair of home runs including the game tying shot in the bottom of the fourth inning to lead things off. Her other homerun came in the bottom of the fifth inning a two run bomb to left field that would extend the lead even further for Christian and pretty much put the game away.

Earlier in the contest Cathedral Catholic would overcome an early run on a two-run homerun in the top of the third to lead 2-1.

McCurty who is only a freshman would go onto earn the win for the Patriots. On the day she allowed four hits and two runs of which none were earned over four innings in which she would strike out five. With the win she moves to 7-0 on the season.

Cathedral who sees their three game winning streak snapped falls to 16-11 overall and will now take on Imperial High in an elimination game.

Winners of two in a row the Christian Patriots win the programs very first game in the Open Division and move to 22-6-1 overall and will in a rematch next take on top-seeded Mater Dei Catholic. Both teams split the two games played previously in the season.

Division I

#7 STEELE CANYON 6, #10 CARLSBAD 1 – Steller pitching by junior Belle Will who struck out 10 on the day proved to be a boost as she helped propel the Steele Canyon Cougars to the play-in game victory over the visiting Carlsbad Lancers on Tuesday afternoon.

Will in her performance allowed only four hits and one run over six and one-third innings while walking two.

Offensively both teams were not taking advantage of their opportunities but Steele Canyon would change that in the bottom of the fourth inning when Marina Gonzalez ripped a double to center field that would bring home both Ily Barclay and Hailey Trujillo and later in the inning Dannika Lakin with two outs would drive in Gonzalez to give them a 3-0 lead.

Steele Canyon would tack on another pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and their final run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Carlsbad would see their four game road winning streak snapped and also with the loss their season comes to an end in which they finish 8-15.

Steele Canyon winners of four games in a row at home and two in a row overall move to 16-12-1 overall and will now travel down to the South Bay where they will take on #2 Eastlake in a first round contest.

#6 EL CAPITAN 3, #11 AOLP 2 – At Del Sur, trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning junior Kyle Frazier came up with what is the biggest hit of her prep career to this point as she came up with the dramatic game winning two-run single to give the El Capitan Vaqueros the come from behind play-in game victory over the visiting Academy of Our Lady Peace Pilots on Tuesday afternoon.

Neither teams offense was doing anything the pitching was matching each other inning for inning.

El Capitan would score the first run of the game in the bottom of the third inning with two outs on a Ciara Bernardini single that scored Sofia Simone to make it 1-0.

The Pilots later in the contest in the top of the sixth inning would push across two runs to take a 2-1 lead late.

Makenna Burton a junior allowed six hits and two runs of which one was earned over seven innings in which she walked one and struck out four to pick up the win.

El Capitan with the win has now won five games in a row and moves to 16-13 overall and will now travel to the North County where they will take on #3 San Marcos in first round action.

#8 RANCHO BERNARDO 10, #9 PATRICK HENRY 0 (5 INN.) – It just wasn’t the Patrick Henry Patriots day as they were limited to only two hits on the day in the play-in game loss to Rancho Bernardo on Tuesday afternoon.

The only hits in the contest for Patrick Henry came courtesy of Adeline McDonald and Ava Cornell.

Patrick Henry with the loss finishes their season 10-15.

Division II

#10 HELIX 7, #7 WESTVIEW 6 (9 INN.) – Overcoming a 4-0 deficit and scoring three runs in the top of the ninth inning the Helix Highlanders had to overcome a furious rally by Westview in the bottom of the ninth inning to claim the road play-in victory on Tuesday afternoon.

Providing spark for Helix was Lauren Farace who on the day tallied four hits in five at-bats which included a triple in the first inning, single in the third and in the fifth inning and also the ninth inning.

Westview would draw blood early on an RBI triple and sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first inning. They would also add another pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning.

The Highlanders would finally get on the board in the top of the fourth inning on an RBI double by Lilianna Benabdeljalil who would later score on a passed ball to cut the deficit in half at 4-2.

Helix would eventually tie the game up at 4-4 in the top of the fifth with two outs when LaNiah Broom roped a triple to right field scoring both Farace and Clarissa Torres.

They would later take the lead in the top of the ninth inning on singles by Benabdeljalil and Ell Aguayo.

Earning the victory for the Highlanders was Katelyn Woodland who allowed two hits and no runs over five and two-thirds innings in which she walked three and struck out one.

Helix who has now won eight of their last nine games including four in a row will now take on a familiar foe in #2 West Hills in the first round. The Highlanders overall record is now 17-6.

#12 OCEANSIDE 9, #5 SANTANA 6 – Despite outhitting the Oceanside Pirates 13-8 on the day the #5 Santana Sultans dropped a road play-in game on Tuesday afternoon.

Santana who was the higher seed had to travel to Oceanside who drew a #12 seed but because they won their league had the home field advantage.

Oceanside who trailed by a run 4-3 in the bottom of the fourth would score four runs and never look back.

Santana after allowing three runs over the first couple of innings would inch back into the contest thanks to Kaitlyn Ruckle who went 3-for-4 on the day would hit a solo home run in the second inning to make it 3-1. They would score three runs in the top of the third inning on an RBI double by McKenna Miller who tallied three hits and with two outs Ashlyn Darrow would drive in Miller with a triple and Ruckle would drive in another run which gave them a one run lead.

The Pirates would retake the lead on a grand slam to go up 7-4.

Lexi Buquet would take the loss for the Sultans as she came into the game in relief in which she went three innings allowing five runs on four hits while walking one and striking out three.

Santana with the loss is eliminated and finishes their season 15-11.

Elsewhere

Division 3

El Camino 4, Foothills Christian 1

OCEANSIDE – Foothills Christian gained the jump on host El Camino in the CIFSDS Division 3 first-round contestr. Three of the first four Knights batters reached base to produc a run, but then Wildcats pitcher NAME only allowed two hits the rest of the way on a 4-1, elimination round victory.

El Camino pitcher Kailey Stanford was tagged early, then settled inn for five innings to gain the win. Reliever Kylah Scott earned the save/

The fast start by the Knights (8-10) overall saw shortstop Gabby Wohlford and second baseman Reese Winchester open the ballgame with consecutive basehits.

One out later4, cleanup hitter Brooklyn “Fabulous” Fabulic lined an RBI single to left for a 1-0 lead.

However, when El Camino eascaped the jam by turning an inning-ending double play, the momentum turnedl the Knights gathered only apair of additional hits the restf the way.

Wildcats shortstop Makayla Boone keyed the tirnaround with a pait of two-out hits. Boone singled in the first to pull the teams even, then delivered an RBI doubled in the third inning, taking an extra base when the throw went home.

The Wildcats (19-9) added on with a pair of runs in the fourth, both also coming with two down.

El Camino, the No. 6 seed, advances to Wednesday’s iopening of the double-eliminaton ohase of the bracket, traveling to Encinitas to meet third-seeded San Dieguito.

Wohlford finished with two hits for the Knights. Pitcher Emma Romeka polished off her second consecutive complete game with five strikeouts.

Fabulic, a freshman, finished as the leading hitter for Foothills Christian with a .380 batting average, followed by Romeka (3.53), then Kenzie Gomez (.302), a stolen base leader with 11.

Division 5

SD-High Tech 18, at Mountain Empire 7

BUCKMAN SPRINGS – The Storm of San Diego-High Tech pulled away late, scoring four times in the seventh ining to knock Mountain Empire out of the CIFSDS Division 5-AA playiffs.

The Storm (10-10) received four RBI from freshman Ruby Parkin, while senior Imani Woolfolk added three RBI as part of a 22-hit attack.

The RedHawks (10-3), the Patriot League titlists, failed to report. They did hold an early 1-0 entering the third inning, but the Storm answered with 12 runs over the ensiong three frames.

Nick Pellegrino