{"id":11691,"date":"2026-06-02T20:31:32","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T20:31:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11691"},"modified":"2026-06-02T20:31:32","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T20:31:32","slug":"whittier-christian-softball-showed-unity-and-confidence-to-claim-cif-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11691","title":{"rendered":"Whittier Christian softball showed unity and confidence to claim CIF title"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

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Read more Clara Adams sues CIF seeking to restore last year\u2019s 400 meters state title<\/a><\/p>\n

Whittier Christian softball coach Dale Van Duyn noticed the changes in his team several weeks ago.<\/p>\n

The players seemed more confident, more united and more determined.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt started about two months ago,\u201d he said. \u201cThey just all of sudden started blending and we haven\u2019t lost since.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whittier Christian road the breakthrough to a 5-3 victory in eight innings against No. 2 seeded Mater Dei in CIF-SS Division 2 championship on May 29.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, the Heralds (23-8-1) will take a 13-game winning streak into its Division I first-round game against Point Loma (23-9) in the CIF Southern California Regional.<\/p>\n

If Whittier Christian wins, it will play at defending champion Mater Dei Catholic of Chula Vista on Thursday.<\/p>\n

The Heralds can certainly lean on their experience from last weekend. Before the largest Orange County crowd of the finals, they showcased their progress on the grandest stage in school history.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Whittier Christian beat a higher-ranked Trinity League opponent in the second-highest division in the section.<\/p>\n

The Heralds\u2019 previous three section titles were in Division 5 and Division 6, respectively.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe grew as a family,\u201d Van Duyn said of the title run in his 19th season. \u201cWe struggled a little bit in the beginning of the season and we had to learn how to play together. Once they learned that, I\u2019d play anybody right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pitcher Sofia Gonzalez displayed her confidence in slowing a Mater Dei offense that entered the final averaging 7.3 runs in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The junior used a deceptive windup and changed speeds to scatter nine hits in eight innings.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe just got the confidence about two months ago,\u201d Van Duyn said of Gonzalez. \u201cShe said, \u2018OK, let\u2019s go\u2019 and it hasn\u2019t stopped. And (catcher) Danni (Lopez) behind the plate, she gives her confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lopez, a senior committed to Cypress College, helped anchor a cohesive defense against Mater Dei (19-11).<\/p>\n

The Heralds feature a slick-fielding shortstop in junior Gigi Bojorquez, who is committed to Southern Illinois Edwardsville.<\/p>\n

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She forms a strong infield with Arizona State commit Sofia Hernandez at third base, DePaul committed junior Rylee Cull at second base and Rutgers committed junior Mia Camacho at first base.<\/p>\n

The infield connected for a 4-6-3 double play in the bottom of the seventh against Mater Dei to help send the game into extra innings.<\/p>\n

In the fifth inning, left fielder Bella Perez made a diving catch near the foul line on a drive by Mater Dei slugger Tulutululelei Salue.<\/p>\n

But Whittier Christian\u2019s strongest attribute in the playoffs has been its determination.<\/p>\n

After defeating top-seeded Bonita 13-1 in the quarterfinals and rallying past St. Paul with seven runs in the seventh inning in the semifinals, the Heralds had plenty of fight left for Mater Dei.<\/p>\n

Camacho hit a two-run home run, her school-record 17th, in the top of the seventh inning to tie the score 3-3. And in the top of the eighth, Perez launched a game-winning, two-run home run.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t quit,\u201d Camacho said. \u201cAll of our hard work just came through.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve heard we\u2019re underdogs our whole season,\u201d Perez added. \u201cNever count us out. We like to make games fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

NOTES<\/strong><\/p>\n

Former Whittier Christian player Aleena Garcia, now playing for shortstop for UCLA, sent the Heralds an encouraging video message before the Division 2 final. \u201cShe was just telling us to believe in ourselves and no moment is too big,\u201d Camacho said. \u2026<\/p>\n

Perez is committed to Lipscomb in Nashville, Tenn. The senior picked the university because of its Christian faith and proximity with family. Her mother Janine is moving to Tennessee for her work with In-N-Out Burger. \u2026<\/p>\n

Northwood freshman pitcher Olivia Chen became emotional talking about the impact of her senior catcher Marissa Lee after the Timberwolves\u2019 11-1 win against Grace in the Division 5 final. Chen credited Lee for calling pitches and building her confidence. \u201cShe puts a lot of faith in me,\u201d Chen said of Lee, who is committed to Seattle. \u2026<\/p>\n

Mission Viejo senior co-captains Mars Ruvalcaba and Bailey McNeal stressed hard work, accountability and positivity in leading a young team that didn\u2019t feature any other seniors. \u201cWe just wanted to be a good example for the girls,\u201d McNeal said after a 3-1 loss to Oxnard in the Division 4 final. \u201cThey learned quick,\u201d Ruvalcaba added. \u201cOur second baseman (Sarabeth Park) was a freshman who stepped up for us.\u201d \u2026<\/p>\n

The Division 1 final between JSerra and La Mirada featured a combined 10 players from the Batbusters travel organization. \u2026<\/p>\n

The three-day attendance for the section finals at Deanna Manning Stadium was 4,416. \u2026<\/p>\n

The CIF State will debut state championships next season in addition to the regional tournaments.<\/p>\n

Read more 3 Congress members decry conditions inside Adelanto ICE facility \u2014 while feds say they are misguided<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Softball notes: Whittier Christian began a hot streak in early March and it continued with a victory against Mater Dei in the CIF-SS Division 2 final.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11690,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nWhittier Christian softball showed unity and confidence to claim CIF title - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11691\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Whittier Christian softball showed unity and confidence to claim CIF title - 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