Whittier Christian softball dominates Bonita to reach Division 2 semifinals

LA HABRA — There has never been a question about Whittier Christian’s power and ability to score runs.

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Bonita got to see it up close Wednesday in the CIF Southern Section Division 2 softball quarterfinals. The Bearcats looked powerless to do much about it.

With Whittier Christian also getting a strong effort from junior pitcher Sofia Gonzalez, the Heralds were dominant in a 13-1 victory over Bonita.

Gonzalez took a shutout into the seventh inning before surrendering a run. She finished the game having scattered seven hits with three strikeouts.

Whittier Christian’s Sofia Hernandez (4 for 5, HR, 2 RBIs), Mia Camacho (2 run homer) and Jaelyn Ugalde (3 for 3 with a HR, double, 4 RBIs) talk about their power and confidence after a 13-1 victory over Bonita in the CIF-SS Division 2 quarterfinals. pic.twitter.com/rCpZdYDmQH

— Fred J. Robledo 👨🏻‍💻 (@SGVNSports) May 21, 2026

Bonita is a team with power too, having smacked 34 home runs this season. But Gonzalez did her part to shut down Bonita’s offense.

Whittier Christian coach Dale Van Duyn knows if she continues to deal with confidence, his team’s chances of winning a CIF-Ss championship increase significantly.

Whittier Christian (22-8-1) will be on the road Saturday to face St. Paul (19-12) in the semifinals. St. Paul was an 8-7 winner over Lakewood St. Joseph in the quarterfinals.

“She has grown so much since her freshman season,” Van Duyn said of Gonzalez. “The maturity level between then and now is a 100 percent. She’s believing in herself. When she was younger she didn’t believe in herself. She had what it takes, but I have loved seeing her grow, and when you get a kid to believe in themselves, they can do anything.”

The first inning laid the foundation for the rest of the game.

Bonita’s AJ Mangini, who finished with three hits, smacked a single to right field with two runners aboard. The Heralds threw out Bearcats speedster Leah Reynolds at home, and then threw out Bonita’s Madi Arzate at third base for an inning-ending double play.

Whittier Christian got off to a good start in the bottom of the first with Mia Camacho’s two-run homer — her 18th of the season. That was followed later by Ali Plimpton’s solo shot for a 3-0 lead.

The Heralds exploded for six runs in the second inning for a 9-0 lead. At that point, the rout was on.

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Whittier Christian coach Dale Van Duyn talks about their hitting, pitcher Sofia Gonzalez’s big effort and trip to the CIF-SS Division 2 semifinals after a 13-1 win over Bonita pic.twitter.com/AOdn0szNUv

— Fred J. Robledo 👨🏻‍💻 (@SGVNSports) May 21, 2026

“It was huge. Momentum in softball is such a big thing, and that gave us momentum,” Van Duyn said of holding Bonita scoreless in the first inning and then scoring three runs in the bottom half of the inning. “Our goal as a team is to jump on top of pitchers, make them throw different pitches to us so we can adjust. And I thought we just swung the bat well today.”

Whittier Christian has won 11 straight games. The Heralds, who came into the contest with 42 home runs, have scored 10 or more runs seven times during the streak.

They had four home runs Wednesday and pounded out 13 hits.

Jaelyn Ugalde was 3 for 3 with a home run, double and four RBIs. Sofia Hernandez, an Arizona State commit, was 4 for 5 with a home run and two RBIs.

Plimpton was 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs.

Camacho, a Rutgers commit, talked about the pressure the Heralds’ offense puts on other teams.

“It’s very important,” she said. “You want to attack first, and getting on them in the early innings is important. You want to attack those strikes and we did.”

Camacho set the tone with her two-run blast, then it became contagious.

“It absolutely is,” Hernandez said. “We work so hard in practice and focus on the little things. We don’t even try to hit home runs, it just happens naturally. As a team we pick each other up and help each other a lot.”

Ugalde was a big part of the onslaught with four RBIs, a home run and a double.

“The momentum, the cheering,” she said, “and all of us contributing to this team plays a big part (in having days like this).”

Rylee Cull added a two-run single and Dani Lopez added two hits for the Heralds, who are one win away from playing for the school’s first championship since winning the Division 5 title in 2010.

The Heralds have won three CIF-SS titles, having also won in 2005 and 2009.

This team is hoping its time has arrived.

“We just have to keep scoring first,” Hernandez said. “We’ve been scoring first, we’ve been attacking and we have to keep it going. We’re just working on what we need to accomplish.”

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Bonita’s Koa Pupe drove in her team’s only run in the seventh inning.