Menifee baseball, softball teams prepare for CIF playoffs

Riley Vogt and the rest of the Liberty Bison will be home in the first round. (File photo by Action Captures Media Group)

By Doug Spoon, Editor

All four Menifee area high school baseball teams and two softball teams will begin the CIF-SS playoffs this week.

In baseball, Paloma Valley will be at home against Castaic in a Division 3 opener on Thursday. The Wildcats finished second in the Ivy League and have an 18-10 overall record. Castaic is also 18-10 and qualified as the No. 4 team from the Foothill League.

The Wildcat offense is led by Brandon Alley (.348, 12 RBIs, 16 runs scored), Jacob Melendez (.311, 19 RBIs, 11 runs scored), Brandon Harper (.298, 8 RBIs, 5 runs scored), and Brayden Bessette (.284, 6 RBIs, 15 runs scored). The pitching staff is led by Brody Smearer (5-1, 1.09 ERA), Blake Saucedo (6-1, 2.94 ERA), Allen (2-2, 1.10 ERA), and Melendez (4-3, 3.17 ERA).

In a Division 5 game on Thursday, Liberty will put its 11-11 record on the line in a home game against Citrus Coast League champion Santa Paula (14-11). The Bison finished third in the Ivy League.

Over the Bison's last six games, Ian Slater has been hitting .412, including 4 doubles, a home run and 7 RBIs. On the mound, Riley Vogt has been unstoppable with a 1.00 ERA over his last 14 innings. On defense, Luis De La Riva has been solid in the outfield and catcher Austin Cholodenko has been outstanding.

Also in Division 5 on Thursday, Sunbelt League champion Heritage (19-9) will play at St. Anthony of Long Beach (17-8). The Patriots’ offense is led by Brenton Jackson (.435, 12 RBIs, 28 runs scored), Zach Cedillo (.398, 20 RBIs, 13 runs scored), Joe Estrada (.329, 13 RBIs, 8 runs scored), and Wade Johnson (.304, 11 RBIs, 17 runs scored).

The Patriots’ pitching staff is led by Eli Martinez (6-0, 1.01 ERA), Johnson (4-0, 1.75 ERA), Cedillo (4-0, 2.93) Jacob Ortiz (2-1, 1.97 ERA), and David Estrada (1-1, 2.55).

In Division 9 Thursday, Santa Rosa Academy (12-11-1) will be at home against Cathedral City (6-14).

In softball action on Thursday in Division 2, Liberty (18-9) will be at home against La Serna (16-10). The Bison were co-champions of the Ivy League. The Bison offense is led by Emma Campos (.500, 13 RBIs, 15 runs scored), Jennessy Lopez (.482, 29 RBIs, 20 runs scored), Juliana Larson (.444, 26 RBIs, 15 runs scored), and Cheri LeDoux (.436, 14 RBIs, 7 runs scored).

The pitching staff is led by Brooklyn Abeyta (5-2, 5.38 ERA) and Janessa Guigliano (5-5, 4.83 ERA).

In a Division 6 softball game on Saturday, Santa Rosa Academy (18-6) will play at Granite Hills (15-7). The Rangers won the South Valley League with a 13-1 record. The Rangers’ offense is led by Lisa Marie Conte (.627, 25 RBIs, 27 runs scored). Madeleine Hillyer (.576, 12 RBIs, 9 runs scored), Aleeza Dunn (.533, 14 RBIs, 31 runs scored), and Olivia (.519, 6 RBIs, 16 runs scored).

The pitching staff is led by Kadence Bernard (7-1, 1.84 ERA).

All games are scheduled to begin at 3:15 p.m.