Top softball final headed to Irvine

La Mirada moved into the CIF Southern Section Division 1 softball final on Saturday with a 5-1 semifinal win over La Habra, sending the Matadores to their first title game appearance since 2011. Alison Ortega, a junior right-hander committed to Harvard, threw a complete game and worked through repeated traffic on the bases, according to OC Sports Zone. Freshman Rylee Thurmond drove in two runs and collected three hits as La Mirada improved to 26-4. CIF-SS brackets show the Matadores will face JSerra in the Division 1 championship at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine next week, with the final listed for May 28, 29 or 30. ### How did La Mirada take control so early? La Mirada scored three runs in the top of the first inning at La Habra and never gave up the lead. The Matadores loaded the bases with three walks to open the game, then went ahead when Fatima Serna was hit by a pitch with one out. Thurmond followed with a two-out, two-run double that pushed the lead to 3-0. (ocsportszone.com) La Habra answered in the second when Mireya Gonzalez hit her fifth home run of the season over the center-field fence, trimming the deficit to 3-1. The Matadores added another run in the fifth after Reese Hilliard doubled and later scored on a La Habra fielding error, then added a fifth run in the seventh. La Habra stranded nine runners in the game. (ocsportszone.com) ### What did Ortega do in the circle? Ortega allowed eight hits, struck out seven and pitched out of jams in the third, fifth, sixth and seventh innings, according to OC Sports Zone. The outing ended several La Habra threats and preserved a multi-run lead for most of the afternoon. (ocsportszone.com) “‘The game was so intense,’” Ortega said after the win, adding that she settled down once the game slowed for her. OC Sports Zone reported that she retired La Habra in order on three pitches in the first inning before navigating tougher spots later. (ocsportszone.com) ### Which hitters stood out for La Mirada? Thurmond delivered the biggest swing of the game with her first-inning double and finished with three hits and two RBIs. OC Sports Zone said she reached base three times in the semifinal. Rylee Thurmond told OC Sports Zone that the semifinal felt like a rivalry game with plenty of chatter on the field. (ocsportszone.com) Her production helped back Ortega on a day when La Mirada needed timely offense more than a long string of extra-base hits. ### Who is waiting in the final? (ocsportszone.com) JSerra reached the championship game with a 2-0 semifinal win over Norco on Saturday. Liliana Escobar struck out 14 and threw a three-hitter, while Annabel Raftery hit a solo home run and Magenta De Arte added an RBI single, according to reports from the Orange County Register and other published game accounts. (ocsportszone.com) CIF-SS brackets list JSerra opposite La Mirada in the Division 1 final. OC Sports Zone reported that the Lions’ win sent them to the program’s first CIF-SS Division 1 championship game. ### Why is Irvine the next stop? Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine is the listed site for the Division 1 championship game next week. CIF-SS posts the final round for May 28, May 29 or May 30, and all earlier rounds were completed Saturday. (ocregister.com) La Mirada enters that final after playoff wins over Los Alamitos, Palos Verdes, Etiwanda and La Habra. (cifss.org) JSerra reached Irvine by beating Yucaipa, Ayala, Pacifica and Norco. The CIF-SS bracket shows the two teams on opposite sides of the draw and now one win from the Division 1 title.