St. Joseph Wins Southern Section 1-A Softball Title

Junior Julie Rome had 13 strikeouts and allowed five hits as Santa Maria St. Joseph won its second consecutive Southern Section 1-A softball championship, defeating Leuzinger, 2-1, Saturday night at Mayfield Park in Lakewood.

St. Joseph catcher Julie Grennan contributed to both her team’s runs. In the fourth, her sacrifice fly scored Mindy Mawhinney. In the sixth, she doubled and advanced to third on a passed ball, scoring on a groundout by Raquel Fleming.

Rome held Leuzinger in check for most of the game. The Olympians scored their only run in the bottom of the sixth inning, on Andianna Ibarra’s one-out double. Ibarra scored on a wild pitch after advancing to third on a passed ball.

It was St. Joseph’s third championship in the last seven years. It finished 23-8. The Olympians finished 20-7.

In the Small Schools game, Big Bear won its first Southern Section championship by defeating Leffingwell Christian, 10-1.