The Holtville High softball team knows what it feels like to win a San Diego Section championship and how it feels to lose one.
In their third straight visit to a championship game, the Vikings chose the victorious path once again.
Behind starting pitcher Kalli Strahm, Holtville started fast and never looked back as it grabbed a 7-1 triumph over Santana on Friday at San Diego State to claim the Division 2 championship.
By winning, Holtville advances to the Southern California Regionals, which will announce the brackets on Sunday.
Strahm allowed five hits, no walks and four strikeouts to improve her record to 20-5 this season.
“I’m speechless at the moment,” Strahm said. “I have so many emotions running wild right now. To win a CIF title is a once-in-a-lifetime moment that we’ve managed to experience twice.”
At the plate, Strahm was also 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs.
“On game day, I am more focused on pitching, although I am willing to help at the plate, too,” she said. “I come to compete on every pitch from the circle. I just want to give ourselves a chance to win every game.”
Holtville opened the scoring in the third inning with a bases-loaded walk.
The Vikings (23-5) added four runs in the fourth inning with Demi Johnson’s two-run triple doing the most damage.
The 5-0 lead was more than enough for Strahm, whose second RBI came on a sacrifice fly in a two-run sixth inning.
“I knew we wanted to set the tone from the box as soon as possible,” Strahm said. “We always want to score first, get ahead and make every run meaningful.”
COVID-19 in 2020 kept the Vikings from making a fourth consecutive championship berth.
Santana (21-9-1) scored its run in the seventh inning on McKenna Miller’s two-out double.
In all, Santana handed the Vikings six walks and three hit batters to go with eight hits.
“Six walks and three hit batters would disappoint me if my pitchers did that,” said Holtville coach Melissa Snyder, whose team is now 3-0 on neutral fields this season. “I did not know what to expect today. … My faith was such that I thought the Vikings would come out on top.
“Our pitcher doesn’t throw very hard, she won’t strike out a lot of hitters, but she just beats you.”
Prior to this championship run by the Class of 2023, the last time Holtville won a softball title was 1998 in Division 4.
“Our community is sure getting used to this winning stuff in softball,” said Snyder.
Besides Strahm’s hitting, Kamryn Walker was 2-for-2 with an RBI, Demi Johnston was 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs and Kaitlyn Havens had RBIs with a bases loaded walk and a groundout.
Taylinn Warren led Santana with a 2-for-3 performance.
“I sure did not think this game would end 7-1,” added Strahm. “The ride back to Holtville will be more because we have no regrets this time.
“This feels as awesome as you’d think it would.”
Division 1
Otay Ranch 4, Mater Dei 3: Last year’s Open Division champion Otay Ranch (23-7) made it back-to-back CIF titles by surviving Mater Dei’s 12-hit attack.
The game-winning run was scored in the fifth inning as Nat Lozano scored on Isa Vinlaun’s sacrifice fly.
Lozano hit a home run in the fourth inning, her third of the season to tie the game at 2-2. A groundout scored a second run that inning for a 3-2 lead.
Senior Alexa Muñoz scattered 12 hits, but survived dangerous rallies in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings by only allowing two runs in those innings.
Kaylin Phillips was 3-for-3 for Otay Ranch, which got a 2-for-2 outing from Lozano.
Every starter for Mater Dei (17-13) except one had at least one hit, led by 2-for-3 outings from Ayanna Shaw — who also had a solo homer in the first inning — and Gigi Flores.
Monahan is a freelance writer.
