Brooklyn Lamb

LIONS POSTGAME: Sophomore Annabel Raftery supplied the lone run of the game with her 11th home run of the season, while senior Liliana Escobar tossed a complete game shutout with 10 strikeouts, as the @JserraSoftball team defeated the Pacifica Mariners 1-0 in a CIF-SS Division 1 quarterfinals game on Wednesday at Pacifica High School in Garden Grove. Raftery spoke about her big swing in the first inning and continuing to build on a record-setting season, while Escobar discussed her approach in the circle against the Mariners and propelling her team one step closer to a CIF-SS title opportunity.

𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐒𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐃 @AndrewLamb2023 🫡

The @JserraSoftball team continued its’ postseason push in dramatic fashion on Saturday, as junior Angie Jimenez produced a walkoff RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning to propel the Lions to a 5-4 eight inning win over the Ayala Bulldogs in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs at JSerra Catholic High School. JSerra improves to 22-8 and will visit the Pacifica Mariners in the quarterfinals round on Wednesday. Ayala jumped out to a 1-0 lead in top of the first inning, but the Lions responded in the bottom of the inning. Sophomore Annabel Raftery led off with a single to right field, and one out later, senior Zena Edwards connected on deep drive over the wall in left center field for her seventh homerun of the season to give the Lions a 2-1 lead. The Bulldogs tied the game in the top of the fourth inning, but senior Liliana Escobar escaped further damage by getting out of a bases-loaded jam. The game remained tied at 2-2 until the bottom of the sixth inning when the Lions flexed their muscles to re-take the lead. Raftery drove a 1-1 pitch over the wall in center field for her 10th homerun of the season to give the Lions a 3-2 lead. Four pitches later, junior Brooklyn Lamb gave JSerra a two-run lead when she sent a booming drive over the wall in center field for her fourth homerun of the season. The Bulldogs answered with a two-run homerun in the top of the seventh inning to knot the score at 4-4. Edwards began the game’s definitive rally in the bottom of the eighth inning with a leadoff walk. Freshman Magenta De Arte followed with single into left field to put runners on first and second base. After a wild-pitch advanced the runners to second and third base respectively, Jimenez slapped a hard ground ball past the Bulldogs’ second baseman and into right field to score Edwards and send the Lions into the quarterfinals.

The @JserraSoftball team will officially hit the field for the CIF Southern Section postseason. The CIF-SS released its 2026 Softball playoff brackets on Saturday and the Lions are one of the 32 teams that comprise the CIF-SS Division 1 Bracket. JSerra, which finished second in the Trinity League and earned an automatic berth, will host the Yucaipa Thunderbirds in a first-round game on Friday, May 15 at JSerra Catholic High School. First pitch is currently scheduled for 3:15 p.m. The Thunderbirds produced an overall record of 21-6 during the regular season and won the Citrus Belt League title.