The 2025-26 Central Section high school sports spring postseason is underway. Here is a look at the roundup of action from Tuesday, June 2.
Coaches, please submit your results/stats after each game or match to sports reporter Vongni Yang at vyang2@gannett.com to have players highlighted in our local roundup.
June 2
Baseball
Central Valley Christian 6, Garfield-Los Angeles 5: Brayden Turner launched a walk-off, two-out double to lift the No. 3 Cavaliers to a victory in the quarterfinal round of the 2026 CIF State Division IV SoCal Championships.
CVC (20-13) will now host seventh-ranked North Torrance (17-16) in a regional semifinal on Thursday, June 4, on the Cavaliers campus in Visalia. First pitch for that game is 4 p.m.
Down 5-4, Nathan Pursell hit a lead-off single to start the bottom of the seventh inning. Macade Atkins then drew a walk to put runners at first and second.
On the very next at-bat, Brody Pimental popped out. Joey Pedro reached first on a fielder’s choice on the ensuing plate appearance to set the table for the 6-foot-4 Turner.
Turner, who went 0-for-3 in his first at-bats in the state playoff game, roped a double down the left-field line to deliver the game-winning RBIs.
“They have so much heart,” CVC head coach Caleb Flores said. “To battle some adversity there, it would have been easy; a lot of teams would have just thrown the white flag and called it a season, but for our guys to go out there and fight like they did is just a testament to the group of guys that they are. Their willingness to fight for each other, and this program is amazing.”
Pursell led the offense, going 3-for-3 with a run scored. Jentzen Dunn had two hits, two runs and an RBI. Atkins and Turner each finished with a double and two RBIs. Pimental also pushed across a run.
Dunn, fresh off a winning pitching performance in the Central Section Division III championship game, got the victory on the hill in relief. He tossed a strikeout in one inning, allowing four hits and two runs.
Daniel Bekedam, the Cavaliers’ starting pitcher, went six innings and hurled a pair of strikeouts while surrendering nine hits and three runs, two earned.
CVC played its first home game in nearly a month — since May 5, to be exact.
The Cavaliers won all four of their section playoff games on the road but are now the highest remaining seed in the state postseason.
If the Cavaliers win their regional semifinal on Thursday, they will host the state regional final against either No. 5 Francis Parker-San Diego (25-11) or eight-seed South El Monte (19-13) on Saturday, June 6.
“I don’t know what to do with myself,” Flores said. “It’s June 2, and we’re still playing baseball. That’s pretty crazy to think about, but to be able to do that with this group of guys, at our home field, in front of our home crowd. We had an incredible crowd today. It was packed out in our yard. We’re just extremely grateful to continue to still be able to play and do that. We’re not ready for it to be done.”
SOFTBALL
Woodlake 8, Edgewood-West Covina 4: The No. 2 Tigers defeated seventh-ranked Lions in a 2026 CIF State Division IV SoCal Championships quarterfinal game.
Woodlake (29-4) advances to the state regional semifinals and will host No. 3 Irvine (17-16) on Thursday, June 4, at 4 p.m.
The Tigers are the reigning Division IV SoCal state champions.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: CVC baseball wins state playoff game on Brayden Turner hit
Reporting by Vongni Yang, Visalia Times-Delta / Visalia Times-Delta
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
