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After 19 years, Cougars are champs again
- Updated: May 31, 2026
2026 EAST COUNTY PREP SOFTBALL
SAN DIEGO CIF DIVISION I CHAMPIONSHIP
By Adam Paul
LA JOLLA (May 30, 2026) – In what could have been another disappointing championship game appearance as they trailed by a score of 5-2 late in the contest the third seeded Steele Canyon Cougars offense came alive and erupted for 11 runs over the fifth and sixth innings to procure the CIF San Diego Section Division I title by a score of 13-7 over the fourth seeded Torrey Pines Falcons on Saturday afternoon in front of a raucous crowd at UC San Diego’s Triton Softball Field.
Trailing 3-0 early on, the Cougars roared back into the game in the bottom of the fourth inning when freshman Ariana Angotti came through on a 2-1 count and crushed a two-run dinger to left field for her second home run of the season, pulling them within 3-2.
Torrey Pines though would grab the momentum back in the top of the fifth inning as they pushed across another pair of runs to extend their lead to 5-2.
Steele Canyon celebrates following its victory in the SDSCIF Division I championship game.
Steele Canyon now facing not only a three-run deficit but also running out of at-bats would take advantage of their opportunities as they pushed across six runs on four hits all with two outs to take their first lead of the game 8-5.
After a one-out single by Ily Barclay followed by a walk to Payton Sos followed by a base hit by another freshman Avigail Hendricks the first run came on a sacrifice fly by Sophia Jackel to make it 5-3.
Steele Canyon would score the second run of the inning when Angotti drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home Sos to make it 5-4. The next batter, Izabella Thomas, would drive in a pair of runs to give the Cougars a 6-5 lead, which was followed by a two-run double by Marina Gonzalez to make it 8-5.
The bats of the Cougars would again come alive in the bottom of the sixth inning as they scored five more runs to lead 13-5 and really secure the victory.
After back-to-back singles by Sos and Hendricks, Jackel would follow with a walk to load the bases with one out.
With the bases packed, Belle Will came up and drove in Sos, which was followed by Angotti driving in Hendricks. The next batter, Thomas, with the bases still packed, was hit by a pitch, which led to Jackel coming into score to make it 11-5. The Cougars would score the final two runs via an RBI single by Gonzalez and a sacrifice fly by Kayala Hopkins, which led to Angotti tagging up and racing home for the score.
Torrey Pines would push back one more time in the top of the seventh inning as they would score two runs with one out before Will retired the next batter, and the game would end on a base running play in which the Falcons would be called out on.
When the final out was recorded, the entire dugout of the Cougars erupted as they ran out to celebrate their championship victory.
Will, who started for the Cougars, went all seven innings for the win as she allowed seven runs (three earned) on nine hits.
With the victory, the Steele Canyon Cougars claim their first San Diego CIF softball championship since winning back-to-back Division III crowns under current Torrey Pines head coach Julie (Bohe) Neubauer in 2006 and 2007.
For current head coach Kevin Pearlstein, the third time is a charm as he now has won a CIF title and gets the proverbial monkey off his back after a heartbreaking 4-3 loss in the 2024 Division I game 4-3 and in 2017, a 7-4 decision in Division II.
Torrey Pines, with the loss, sees its four-game winning streak snapped and falls to 17-13-1 overall.
On the other side, the Steele Canyon Cougars heated up at the right time of the season as they roared their way through the second half of league to claim a part of the Grossmont Hills league championship, but they declawed everyone on their way to not losing a game in the playoffs and finished the overall season riding a 9-game winning streak and an overall record of 21-11.
2026 San Diego CIF Division I champion Steele Canyon Cougars
Freshman Cougars Deliver Championship Moment
If Steele Canyon’s Division I championship victory signals the start of a new era, the future arrived ahead of schedule Saturday afternoon.
Three freshmen were at the center of the biggest win in program history since the Cougars last lifted a CIF trophy nearly two decades ago.
Ariana Angotti, Avigail Hendricks and Izabella Thomas combined for six hits, six runs scored and seven RBI as Steele Canyon erased a three-run deficit and overwhelmed Torrey Pines in the final three innings.
Angotti supplied the game’s biggest swing when she launched a two-run home run in the fourth inning to pull the Cougars within a run. She later drew a bases-loaded walk during the decisive fifth inning rally, drove home another run in the sixth and finished with four RBI while reaching base in all four plate appearances.
Hendricks quietly set the table for the comeback. The freshman collected three hits and scored twice, helping ignite both late rallies.
Thomas delivered perhaps the most critical hit of the contest. With Steele Canyon trailing 5-4 and the bases loaded in the fifth inning, the freshman lined a two-run single to give the Cougars their first lead of the afternoon.
Together, the freshmen accounted for nearly half of Steele Canyon’s 14 hits and more than half of the club’s RBI total.
For a program that expects to contend again in 2027, Saturday’s championship may have offered a glimpse of what is still to come.
Pearlstein Finally Captures Elusive CIF Crown
For Steele Canyon head coach Kevin Pearlstein, Saturday’s victory represented far more than another championship banner.
It completed a journey nearly a decade in the making.
Pearlstein had previously guided Cougar teams to CIF championship games in both 2017 and 2024, only to come away empty-handed each time.
The 2024 defeat was especially painful, a one-run loss in the Division I final that left Steele Canyon just short of its first section title in 17 years.
This time there would be no heartbreak.
Despite falling behind 3-0 early and later trailing 5-2 entering the bottom of the fifth inning, the Cougars never folded. Instead, they produced one of the most explosive championship-game rallies in recent San Diego Section history.
The victory not only earned Pearlstein his first CIF championship as a head coach, but returned Steele Canyon softball to the top of the section for the first time since the program’s back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007.
For a coach who had come close twice before, the celebration at UC San Diego carried added significance.
The third trip finally ended with a trophy.
Championship Turned in a Matter of Minutes
Championship games often hinge on one inning.
Steele Canyon’s title was won during a stretch of approximately 15 minutes.
The Cougars entered the bottom of the fifth inning trailing 5-2 and staring at only nine remaining outs.
Two outs later, everything had changed.
Steele Canyon scored six runs after recording the second out of the inning, transforming a three-run deficit into an 8-5 lead.
The rally featured a sacrifice fly from Sophia Jackel, a bases-loaded walk by Ariana Angotti, a two-run single from Izabella Thomas and a two-run double from Marina Gonzalez.
When the inning finally ended, Torrey Pines had surrendered six runs on just four hits while Steele Canyon had seized complete control of the contest.
The Cougars immediately added five more runs in the sixth inning, meaning 11 of their 13 runs came across during a span of just two innings.
The championship wasn’t won with one swing.
It was won with relentless pressure, timely hitting and a two-out rally that completely flipped the script.
Cougars Peaked When It Mattered Most
The final score may suggest Steele Canyon suddenly caught fire in the CIF playoffs.
The reality is the Cougars had been building toward this moment for weeks.
After navigating one of San Diego County’s toughest schedules and battling through the rugged Grossmont Hills League, Steele Canyon entered postseason play as a dangerous lower seed despite not receiving one of the top two positions in the bracket.
The Cougars responded by defeating every opponent placed in front of them and saved their best softball for the final weeks of the season.
Saturday’s victory completed a playoff run that included wins over elite competition and extended Steele Canyon’s winning streak to nine games.
During that stretch, the Cougars transformed from a talented but inconsistent club into the hottest team in the section.
The championship game served as the perfect snapshot of that evolution.
A younger team may have folded after falling behind 5-2 against the tournament’s top seed.
Instead, Steele Canyon answered with 11 unanswered runs.
By the end of the afternoon, the Cougars weren’t simply champions.
They looked every bit like the best team in Division I.
