D3: Highlanders move one step closer to championship

By Adam Paul
Updated: May 26, 2026

2026 EAST COUNTY PREP SOFTBALL
CIF-San Diego Section Championships

By Adam Paul

HELIX 7, MISSION VISTA 1

LA MESA (5-26-26) – Taking advantage of five errors and outhitting the third seeded Mission Vista Timberwolves the second seeded Helix Highlanders easily punched their ticket to the CIF Division III title game on Tuesday afternoon.

Helix would start their scoring in the bottom of the first inning after Mission Vista committed an error, and Ella Aguayo drove in a run via a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.

They would tack on a run in the bottom of the second inning to extend their lead to 3-0 when Nikayla Domingo with two outs singled to left field.

Mission Vista would score their lone run of the game in the top of the sixth inning on a solo home run by Addison Raphael.

Leading 4-1 the Highlanders would answer in the bottom of the sixth inning all with two outs thanks to an error by the Timberwolves that allowed Sabrina Ramuno to plate, Aguayo doubled in Domingo and Naleia Medina doubled in Aguayo to cap the scoring.

Sophomore Lea Moya who drew the starting assignment for the Highlanders would go all seven innings to earn the win. On the day she would allow the one run (one earned) on four hits while striking out three and walking none.

Offensively for the Highlanders both Aguayo and Ramuno each tallied two hits while Medina, Domingo, and Aguayo each drove in a run.

Helix has now won four games in a row and moves to 23-4 and will play in the CIF championship game for the second time this decade with the last time in 2021 behind the stellar pitching of Sophia Ramuno in which they lost 4-0 to Otay Ranch.

The Highlanders will take on the top seeded Brawley Wildcats who defeated the eight seed Coronado Islanders in the other semifinal. The last time the two teams met was back in 2023 in which the Brawley Wildcats claimed a 9-2 victory.