CdM, Sage making playoff appearance

Rick Devereux

A pair of Newport-Mesa softball teams earned berths in the CIF

Southern Section playoffs that begin this week.

Sage Hill School, which finished tied for second in the Academy

League with Whitney, will play Friday at 3:15 p.m. at Whittier

Christian in the first round of the Division VI postseason.

Corona del Mar will play host to JSerra Wednesday at 3:15 in a

Division IV wild-card game. The winner will play at St. Paul Friday

in the first round.

Sage Hill (12-7) has won three in a row and is led by Rebecca

Hembarsky. The junior pitcher is 6-3 with 37 strikeouts in 50 1/3

innings. She carries a 2.92 ERA and is also a leader at the plate for

the Lighting, which is making its second trip to the playoffs in

three years. Hembarsky is batting .481 with 12 RBIs, two home runs

and 12 runs scored.

Whittier Christian (13-5) went undefeated in the Alpha League and

has won eight in a row. Senior Trina McGee is bating .722 with three

home runs to lead the Heralds and her 20 RBIs are second behind

Amanda Vigil’s 23.

Carly Goodman is Whittier Christian’s top pitcher with a 13-5

record and 46 strikeouts in 104 innings. Her 2.09 ERA leads the Alpha

League.

If victorious, Sage would play either Notre Dame Academy or Mojave

in the second round.

CdM (15-10) has won two of its last three and four of its last

six. The Sea Kings, who earned the program’s first playoff victory

last year, are led by Michelle Tolfa.

The sophomore pitcher is 14-9 with a 1.14 ERA and has 185

strikeouts in 148 innings. She also leads the team with a .479

batting average, 18 RBIs and six home runs.

CdM sophomore Holly Van Hiel is batting .310 with 13 RBIs and two

home runs.

JSerra (18-4) is a freelance school fielding its first varsity

softball team. It is led by pitchers Alex Holmes, a sophomore, and

freshman Katie Kroger.

Holmes (14-4) has a minuscule 0.19 ERA and has fanned 186 in 108

innings. Holmes also leads the team with a .538 batting average and

31 RBIs.

Kroeger (3-0) has a 2.33 ERA in 15 innings.

St. Paul (19-6) has won six straight and 12 of 13. Jackie Jaime and Kaelynn Armenta both have 7-2 pitching records for the Swordsmen.