Mater Dei Catholic rallies, beats Point Loma in rematch of last week’s final

CHULA VISTA – Fourteen league and section championship banners hang from the outfield wall at Mater Dei Catholic High School’s softball field. In center field, two replicas of the state of California are displayed on the fence, representing the Crusaders’ two Southern California Regional titles.

Said senior center fielder Bella Harris: “We have a legacy of winning on our home field.”

On a sun-soaked Thursday afternoon, Mater Dei Catholic added another chapter to its home-field history.

Trailing 4-1 going into the bottom of the sixth, the Crusaders scored six runs — five coming with two outs — to rally and beat Point Loma 7-4 in the semifinals of the Southern California Regional Division 1 playoffs.

Mater Dei, the reigning Southern California Division 1 champion, will play for its second straight SoCal championship at home Saturday against La Habra.

“They weren’t going to go down,” said Crusaders co-head coach Liz Centrullo. “They kept fighting. They have the ultimate belief in each other and themselves. That’s what this team does. They do it for each other.”

The Crusaders’ sixth inning began with Oregon-commit Maya Matties lacing a single to left. UCLA-commit Charlize “Chuck” Masingale followed with an RBI double. Sunny Sosa hit a tapper in front of the plate. The ball appeared to glance off Sosa in fair territory, but the umpires ruled it didn’t.

Runners were on first and third with no outs and the score 4-2.

After a fielder’s choice and ground out, the Crusaders still trailed by two, now with runners on second and third. To the plate stepped senior second baseman Liana Quinones.

“This is the turning point of the game,” Quinones said she told herself. “My teammates are relying on me. And most importantly, trusting me. It wasn’t (ital)if (end ital). I had to get it done.”

Quinones hit a hard ground ball that was booted for an error, two runs scoring. Point Loma intentionally walked Arizona-commit Arri Romero, who leads the team with 31 RBI.

Harris ruined the strategy by driving in the go-ahead run with a single.

“There was a lot of adrenaline,” said Harris. “It’s the moment you always train for, practice for and hope for.”

The game marked the third time Mater Dei Catholic (30-3) and Point Loma (24-10) met this season. Mater Dei won all three, 2-1 back in March and 5-3 on Saturday for the San Diego Section Open Division title.

“It’s our first loss like this the whole year,” said Point Loma coach Bill Hunyady. “Usually, we’re able to hold leads. But this is a testament to the best team in San Diego County (Mater Dei Catholic). We had three swings at them and weren’t able to get a win.”

Point Loma took a 3-0 lead in the third inning on a massive three-run homer by left-handed hitting freshman Remington Spangler. The ball sailed over the right-field fence, beyond the bushes, crashing into a tree in a neighboring backyard.

“She roped that,” said Centrullo. “I tip my hat to her.”

Spanger pitched the first four innings, allowing just one run on two hits. But five walks and a hit batter ran up her pitch count. While she came in with a 0.83 ERA and had struck out 85 in 59 1/3 innings, she was making only her second start of the season and tired against the Crusaders.

Point Loma went to its bullpen and Mater Dei rallied.

Minutes after the game, Spangler walked about the visitors’ dugout, collecting her belongings. Asked what was going through her mind after a heartbreaking loss, the freshman said: “That I’m going to miss my seniors.”