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Fullerton and JSerra’s softball teams, both highly-ranked in the Southern Section power ratings, lost their final games of the regular season.
On Saturday, the schools learned how much the setbacks affected their playoff seeding.
The answer? Not much.
Fullerton and JSerra mostly held their positions and earned the No. 3 and No. 6 seeds, respectively, on the same side of the 32-team, Division 1 bracket to highlight the playoff draw for Orange County softball teams.
The playoffs begin next week across eight divisions.
The finalists in each division advance to the championships at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine on May 28-30.
Fullerton (24-3), ranked No. 1 in Orange County and third earlier in the week in the section, opens the Division 1 playoffs by playing host to Cypress (16-12) on Friday.
Fullerton lost to Millikan 4-3 in its regular-season finale.
The Indians took the defeat as the reminder of the demands of the postseason. They lost to Roosevelt 1-0 in the first round of the Division 1 playoffs last season.
Fullerton has gained confidence this spring. The Indians beat No. 2 seeded Norco and Trinity League champion Orange Lutheran on the final day of the Dave Kops Tournament of Champions in Bullhead City, Ariz. They also placed second to Norco at the Carew Classic.
“D1 is a gauntlet. Every team is good,” Fullerton coach Trevor Holton said after the Millikan game. “We know we have to play our best to beat some of them.”
JSerra (20-8), ranked No. 2 in Orange County and No. 5 in the section earlier this week, plays host to Yucaipa (21-6) in the first round Friday.
The Lions lost to Mater Dei 9-5 in the Trinity League to close the regular season.
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JSerra is led by ace Liliana Escobar, who helped the Lions place second to top-seeded Murrieta Mesa in Bullhead City.
Last season, JSerra finished as the Division 2 runner-up to Los Alamitos.
If Fullerton and JSerra win Friday and in the second round Saturday, the schools would collide for the first time this season in the quarterfinals May 20.
Cypress and Canyon received at-large berths and joined fellow Crestview League members El Modena, La Habra and Pacifica in Division 1.
La Habra was the lone Crestview League team to draw a home game Friday. The Highlanders (20-7) play host to Los Altos (20-8).
Division 1 also features Los Alamitos and Marina, both of which won section titles last season.
Los Alamitos (19-8), the reigning Division 2 champion, plays at La Mirada on Friday. The Griffins beat La Mirada 10-0 early in the season.
Marina (19-8), the reigning Division 3 champion, plays at defending Division 1 champion Norco.
Mater Dei (15-11), under first-year coach Nicole Wise, surged late in the Trinity League and received the No. 2 seed Division 2 as an at-large.
Villa Park (14-14) and San Juan Hills (19-6-2) are seeded second and fourth, respectively, in Division 3.
This is a breaking story. Please check back for updates.