Twenty San Joaquin County softball teams started the postseason dreaming of a section title.
By the end of the single-elimination first round on May 13, more than half were already done, leaving just eight teams alive.
After Friday’s quarterfinals on May 15, that number is down to five.
So who’s still standing? Who saw their season end? Which teams made history, and which delivered the biggest surprises?
Here’s the full breakdown from all eight county quarterfinal playoff matchups:
Division II
No. 1 Tracy (23-1) vs. No. 8 West Park (16-4); 7-6
The target that comes with the No. 1 seed is real, and Tracy felt every bit of it. After falling behind 4-0 in the first inning, the Bulldogs clawed all the way back behind a three-run home run from Nevaeh Reynoso in the fourth and a game-tying solo shot from Ava Crivello in the fifth. West Park retook the lead in extras, but UC Berkeley signee Emalee Cargill helped spark one final rally to tie it before Arizona signee Taylor Sansaver played hero with the walk-off single.
Division III
No. 5 Dixon (14-8) vs. No. 4 Manteca (17-8); 7-2
The city of Manteca had already seen one team fall to Dixon. Then came another. Just days after eliminating Sierra, the Golden Empire League runner-up answered an early 1-0 deficit with a five-run fourth inning that ended the Buffaloes’ season.
Division IV
No. 3 Oakdale (14-9) vs. No. 6 Del Campo (19-8); 6-2
Any suspense disappeared quickly. A 2-0 lead in the opening inning against Foothill Valley League champion Del Campo set the tone, and every time the Cougars tried to answer, another response followed. Three runs in the fourth made sure of it. University of Nebraska Kearney signee Reese Donaldson led the charge, going 4-for-4 with three RBIs, while sibling duo Briley Everett and Saige Everett each drove in a run.
Division V
No. 5 Casa Roble (14-10) vs. No. 4 Liberty Ranch (15-8); 6-2
Revenge games are real, and this had all the signs of one. Casa Roble never forgot the 11-5 loss to Liberty Ranch on March 7, turning that into a 5-0 jump through four innings while holding the Hawks to just four hits.
No. 7 Escalon (12-11) vs. No. 2 Calaveras (24-2); 2-1
The warning came a round ago. This was the proof. That 1-9 start means almost nothing now, because this is a completely different Escalon team. UC Riverside commit Arianna Velasco went a perfect 3-for-3 and drove in the opening run, but the biggest moment belonged to freshman Tenley Adams, whose sixth-inning RBI double scored Velasco and delivered the upset. As if that was not enough, Adams also dominated in the circle, throwing a complete game with 14 strikeouts while allowing just five hits and one earned run.
Division VI
No. 3 Linden (18-6) vs. No. 6 Bear River (16-8); 14-8
Runs have become Linden’s postseason language, and the Lions are speaking it fluently. One round after a 16-0 blowout, another 14 runs followed behind a monster day from Pacific signee Olivia Fears, who went 5-for-5 with four RBIs, a homer and a triple. Millee Holguin added a 4-for-5 performance with three RBIs, while Bernice Ortega drove in two more. But this was no cruise. A 5-0 first-inning deficit, a comeback to tie it, three more runs surrendered in the fourth — and still Linden found another gear, exploding for seven runs in the fifth.
No. 2 Argonaut (20-8) vs. No. 7 Ben Holt College Prep Academy (20-7); 3-0
History was still made, even in heartbreak. Aspire Benjamin Holt College Preparatory Academy had never won more than 15 games or made it past the opening round before this season. That changed, but the postseason run came to a cruel end as Argonaut freshman Kendall Baker silenced the bats with a complete-game no-hitter, striking out six.
Division VII
No. 2 Elliot Christian (9-3) vs. No. 7 Vacaville (8-9); 8-3
An 11-year wait ended here. Elliot Christian had not advanced past this round since 2014, but freshman Juliet Goodpasture took over the moment, striking out 15 in a complete-game gem while also going 2-for-3 with two RBIs at the plate.
This article originally appeared on The Record: CIF SJS softball playoffs quarterfinal results in San Joaquin County
Reporting by Dylan Ackermann, The Stockton Record / The Record
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
