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El Modena and Norco players gather for the awards ceremony after the game. (PHOTOS: Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone).
Norco sophomore Coral Williams was nearly perfect as the right-handed hurler dominated while leading the Cougars to a 3-0 victory over El Modena in the CIF Division 1 championship softball game Saturday night before a packed house at Deanna Manning Stadium.
Williams allowed one hit and struck out nine as Norco (29-3) claimed its eighth CIF title and first since 2019.
“In the fifth inning when we scored a few runs I started to feel like we had it,” said Williams, who walked one batter and did not allow a Vanguard runner to reach second base throughout the game. “My drop and changeup were working well, and we were energetic, and it was fun.”
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Williams lost her no-hitter when El Modena shortstop Kylie Tafua drilled a single to right field with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Vanguards could only manage to get three other base runners in the game.
“We ran into a buzz saw; Norco is a juggernaut ” said El Modena Coach Bobby Calderon. “Our team was co-league champions, and we made it to the CIF Division 1 finals; what more could you ask for? We just couldn’t get over the hump tonight. I’m so proud of these girls and what they accomplished. The playoffs have brought out the best of us. We overcome challenges and that has continued to build our confidence. We’re a good team and we earned our way here.”
Norco, the champion of the Big VIII League, finish the season by winning its last five games and 13 of their last 14. They outscored their opponents 31-3 in the playoffs and have outscored their opponents this season by a count of 218-46. The Cougars also recorded their 13th shutout of the season and are ranked No. 1 in California and No. 6th nationally by Maxpreps.
“Two years ago, we got beat in in the finals and then this group got together and built a winning camaraderie,” said Cougars coach Richard Robinson, who is in his 26th year as head coach at Norco. “This is a happy group and there is no animosity. We’re a young team and they’re a good bunch of girls.”
El Modena (22-9) was attempting to win its first CIF softball title since 2008. The Vanguards were co-champions of the Crestview League this past season and are currently ranked 6th in California.
The game started out as a pitchers’ duel between Williams and Vanguards Sara Pinedo, a LMU commit. At one stretch, Williams struck out five consecutive batters, including whiffing the side in the third inning.
El Modena’s Sofia Ramos came close to breaking up the no-hitter in the fifth inning when was called out at first on a close play.
Pinedo was nearly as effective, yielding just two hits over the first four innings, striking out three and allowing only one Norco runner to reach second base.
However, the tide started to change in the fifth inning.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Cougars 6-7-8 hitters sparked a three-run rally as Norco took a 3-0 lead. Sophomore Sadie Burroughs blasted a one-out double to left center.
Savannah Gonzalez followed with an RBI single to left. Dillyn Eckenrod then smashed her second double of the game, this one to left field, scoring Gonzalez from first base and giving the Cougars a 2-0 lead. Eckenrod scored later in the inning on an infield error that upped Norco’s lead to 3-0.
Despite being disappointed, Pinedo said her team had a great season.
“I’m proud of what we accomplished as a team this season,” said Pinedo. “There is no shame in losing in the finals. We gave it our best.”
Notes:
– –Dillyn Eckenrod drilled a one-out double to right center in the top of third inning for Norco but the Cougars were turned back when Vanguards left fielder Jillian Alvarado made a diving catch for the third out, preventing Norco was scoring.
—El Modena beat Norco in a tournament in March earlier this season.
—El Modena second baseman Kaitlyn Galasso entered Saturday’s final with a batting average of .484, 12 home runs, 31 RBI and 16 stolen bases.
—Norco drew a bye in round one, then defeated Oaks Christian, Chino Hills, and Ayala to reach the finals while El Modena beat Pacifica, Rosary, Notre Dame and Temescal Canyon to reach the finals.
—Norco won six CIF championships (2003, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2019), along with three state championships (2009, 2012, and 2019) and national championships in 2012 and 2019.
—Norco has 17 former players who competed in college Division 1 softball in the 2024 season. The Cougars have four players who are committed to playing in college next season (Tamryn Shorter/Boise State, Ashley Duran/Southern Illinois, MJ Costanzo/Minnesota State Moorehead, and Dakota Potter/South Carolina).
—Several El Modena players will be playing in college next season (Julianna Brower/Orange Coast College, Sara Pinedo/LMU, and Kaitlyn Galasso/Boise State).