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Read more CIF-SS baseball finals schedule
Dan Albano’s Diamond Club outstanding softball players last week, May 18-23:
Danni Lopez, Whittier Christian, Sr., C
The Cypress College commit hit a go-ahead, grand slam in a seven-run seventh inning as the Heralds rallied past St. Paul 11-8 in the CIF-SS Division 2 semifinals. She went 2 for 4 in a 13-1 win against top-seeded Bonita in the quarterfinals.
Annabel Raftery, JSerra, So., C
Raftery hit game-winning solo home runs against Pacifica and Norco in the CIF-SS Division 1 quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. The left-handed batter hit a leadoff home run in a 1-0 win at Pacifica and belted a home run in the third inning for the first run in a 2-0 victory at Norco.
Katerinna Rizos, Northwood, Jr.
Rizos hit three-run home runs in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, to help the Timberwolves reach the CIF-SS Division 5 finals. She hit a three-run home run in a 5-4 win against Santa Monica in the quarterfinals. Rizos also belted a three-run home run in a 15-3 win against Covina in the semifinals. She has homered in three consecutive games to raise her total to nine. Rizos has 12 RBIs in the the playoffs.
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Tulutululelei Salue, Mater Dei, So., 1B
Salue hit home runs against Vista Murrieta and San Clemente to help the Monarchs reach the CIF-SS Division 2 finals. The left-handed slugger went 4 for 5 with a home run and three RBIs in an 11-8 win against Vista Murrieta. She belted a two-run home run in a 4-2 triumph against San Clemente in the semifinals. Salue leads Mater Dei with 12 home runs.
Harper Vandermolen, Irvine, Sr., Inf.
The Bowling Green commit went 5 for 7 with two home runs and seven RBIs to power the Vaqueros to the CIF-SS Division 6 finals. She went 2 for 3 with a home run and four RBIs in an 18-7 win against Heritage in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Vandermolen went 3 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs in a 16-2 win against Granite Hills in the semifinals.
Please send nominees for the Diamond Club to Dan Albano at [email protected] or @ocvarsityguy