When the CIF Southern Section Division 3 softball playoffs began last week, the brackets appeared loaded with local teams set to make deep postseason runs.
Bay League champion Redondo had won its final six league games and runner-up Mira Costa brought a potent offense and steady pitcher into the playoffs.
Perennial Pioneer League powers North Torrance, Torrance and El Segundo were bringing years of experience into the postseason.
Probably the most overlooked team was Peninsula, which earned a wild-card berth as the Bay League’s No. 3 team. Yet, it is the Panthers who stand alone as the only local team to have survived the first two rounds in what has been a week of upsets.
Five teams ranked in the top ten were defeated in the first round and another three were eliminated in the second round Tuesday leaving only No. 5 California and No. 6 Colton as the only ranked teams still playing.
After reaching the quarterfinals last season, Mira Costa (21-8-1) was eliminated by visiting Kaiser 11-4 in second-round game played on Monday.
Kaiser (18-12) pounded out 20 hits and its strategy of not giving Mustang power hitter Fa Leilua anything to hit was successful. Leilua was hit by pitches three times and walked once.
Kaiser was the No. 3 team from the Sunset League and has fought its way out of the wild-card round. After upsetting No. 7 Warren in the first round, momentum seemed to carry over into its game at Mira Costa as the Cats jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning.
The Mustangs had their chances, loading the bases in the third and fourth innings but could only muster three runs.
Mira Costa hurler Dillan Boada finished her sophomore season with an impressive 19-6 record.
The Mustangs won its first-round game with a 7-1 victory at No. 10 Torrance (20-12), scoring all of its runs in the second inning.
Sophomore sluggers Brittany Werre and Leilua hit back-to-back home runs following a three-run double by Taylor Glover.
Mira Costa was the only Bay League team to be ranked in the Division 3 top ten this season, reaching as high as No. 4, but had not been in the top ten since March 18.
Peninsula stunned Pioneer League champion North Torrance (21-11) with a 4-1 road win in the first round before eliminating host St. Paul 6-0 on Tuesday. The Panthers (17-10) will host La Habra (22-8) in a 3:15 p.m. quarterfinal game on Thursday.
In its first-round game, Redondo had its bats silenced by Chaminade, the third team out of the Mission League.
The Sea Hawks managed only three hits in the 2-0 loss, wasting a strong pitching performance by freshman Kat Ung who tossed a four-hitter with five strikeouts and one walk.
It was a tough first round for the Pioneer League, which has been a power in the division for many years. Along with losses by North Torrance and Torrance, El Segundo (20-12) surrendered two runs in the seventh inning in a 3-2 loss at No. 3 Bishop Amat.
