SOFTBALL NOTEBOOK

Oaks Christian (23-4-2) meets its Orange County equivalent, Oxford Academy (14-5), in a Division VI second-round playoff game today.

Both are first-year programs, have only freshmen and sophomores and are led by batteries.

Oxford, which finished fourth in the competitive Academy League, features freshman ace Melissa Porche (10-5) and sophomore catcher Mallory Taylor. Porche pitched a perfect game and struck out 15 in 5-0 first-round victory Friday over Oakwood, the Liberty League champion.

Top-seeded Oaks Christian defeated La Verne Lutheran, 8-1, behind Ashlee Freeman’s two-hit, 14-strikeout performance. Freeman is batting .542 and catcher Shannon Van Vorst follows at .417.

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Dos Pueblos (25-6) will probably have Newbury Park (19-10) guessing from the first pitch today in a Division III second-round game.

Or, more specifically, guessing who will throw the first pitch.

That’s because the Channel League-champion Chargers have a few options.

Stephanie Elliott, a 2000 All-Division IV pitcher, returned to the circle Friday against Calabasas after a three-week layoff to rest a sore shoulder.

Elliott pitched one inning in relief of sophomore Christina Haake and they combined on a four-hitter and eight strikeouts in a 8-0 victory. Haake (10-0) has pitched 31 consecutive scoreless innings.

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Crescenta Valley’s season just got tough.

The No. 2-seeded Falcons (26-1) will travel to play perennial powerhouse Mater Dei in a Division II second-round game today.

Mater Dei (19-8) has played in the last three Division I finals, winning the title in 1998.

But the Monarchs’ pitching isn’t what it used to be. Former ace Tia Bollinger graduated and now plays for Washington, leaving Marissa Becerra to fill the void.

Becerra (8-3), who was injured part of the season, is not as dominating as her predecessor, but has a 0.64 ERA.

Mater Dei is 9-1 since Ernie Rodriguez took over as coach for Ed Ulloa, who had heart surgery.