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CHULA VISTA — Heads bowed after the final out at third base. Tears flowed as a historic postseason ended deep in San Diego County. But after the dust settled Saturday, La Habra’s senior softball players sat side-by-side on the grass, kicked off their cleats and giggled.
The Highlanders lost at Mater Dei Catholic 3-1 in the Division I final of the CIF Southern California Regional but maintained their perspective on a four-year journey that reached new heights and formed tight bonds.
The tears were about more than the final score. They were about a chapter closing for the seniors, who symbolically removed their cleats for the final time as Highlanders.
“I’m going to miss this team a lot,” senior second baseman Milee Valencia said amid tears. “Just hanging out with them, honestly, and the feeling of family.”
La Habra (25-9) climbed from missing the playoffs in 2023-24 to reaching the Division 1 semifinals for the first time in the CIF Southern Section.
Rallying behind the slogan “Why not us”, the Highlanders decided to play the regional when several contenders opted out.
In its first regional final, La Habra dueled a record-setting SoCal champion with its defense and the pitching of senior Madison Payne.
The Highlanders brought the tying run to the plate with two outs in the top of the seventh in Valencia.
She delivered a RBI single to shallow left center off Arizona commit Arri Romero. But on the hit, which scored pinch-runner Sophia Cabral from second base, Mater Dei Catholic center fielder Bella Harris threw a strike to third baseman Gianna Flores to nab a runner racing from first.
“Bittersweet but I think they’re very proud of what we’ve done this year,” interim La Habra coach Paul Caffrey said of his team’s emotions. “The senior class, they mean a lot to the kids. Not just talent-wise, it’s just they’re a fantastic group of young women.”
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Final: Mater Dei 3, La Habra 1 pic.twitter.com/nbfNlmQrru
— Dan Albano (@ocvarsityguy) June 6, 2026
La Habra, co-champion of the Crestview League, showed its grit.
Top-seeded and defending champion Mater Dei Catholic (31-3) blasted a comebacker off Payne’s left forearm in the first inning but she recovered to strand eight runners over the next five innings. The Crusaders, who claimed a SoCal-record third regional title, racked up 14 hits but Payne worked out of several jams.
“It’s going to be a bruise but it’s OK,” Payne said of her arm. “I just knew that my team had my back and I trusted myself and my pitches.”
“That’s what pushed me forward,” added the Holy Cross commit, who teamed with catcher Eliana Corona. “We wanted to win but it’s good that we made it this far. We’re proud of ourselves but for the seniors, it’s our last high school game and our last time getting to be with these girls. It’s bittersweet that we lost but we also fought hard.”
La Habra’s defense produced several sparkling plays to keep the Highlanders close after Mater Dei Catholic scored once in the first and twice in the third.
Georgia Rickenbacker made a diving catch in center field to end the first. In the third, third baseman Mireya Gonzalez scooped up a grounder headed for the hole. The junior later snagged a line drive.
Senior right fielder Alyssa Hernandez threw out a runner at home plate in the third. In the sixth, senior first baseman Evelyn Dickerson grabbed another liner and stepped on the bag for a double play.
“They’re solid. Defensively, especially,” Mater Dei Catholic co-coach Mike Centrullo said of La Habra. “They’re a good team. They play a tough schedule up there. We knew that we were going to have a fight no matter what.”
Romero, a junior committed to Arizona, retired the first 12 batters she faced until Gonzalez led off the fifth with a single. Rickenbacker and Valencia followed with singles but Mater Dei threw out runners at third and second to dodge the threat.
The Highlanders scored in the seventh to avoid being shutout for the first time this season.
“We never gave up and we had trust in ourselves, that we could do it,” said Valencia, who had the game-winning hit in the semifinals. “Why not us?”
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