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    La Mirada softball knocks off La Habra to claim spot in Division 1 final
    • May 24, 2026

    LA HABRA — For the first time in 15 years, the La Mirada softball team will be playing in a CIF Southern Section championship game.

    The Matadores reached the finals with a 5-1 win over La Habra in the Division 1 semifinals on Saturday afternoon.

    The Matadores, who improved to 26-4, will play JSerra (24-8) in the championship game in Irvine next week. The dates and times for the finals have not been announced by CIF-SS.

    JSerra was a 2-0 winner over Norco in the other semifinal Saturday.

    La Mirada won its only CIF-SS title in softball in 1991. This will be its fifth championship game, but its first since 2011.

    “I’m proud of these kids, it’s all for the kids,” said La Mirada coach Brent Tuttle, who has been the team’s coach for 10 years. “They laid it all on the line, and it’s not about me and what we’ve done in 10 years, it’s all about this one year. We’re playing good ball right now.”

    La Mirada was led by freshman third baseman Rylee Thurmond, who had three hits, including a double, and two RBIs.

    Matadores shortstop Riley Hilliard and her sister, catcher Reese Hilliard, each had one hit, but they reached base a combined seven times and scored three runs.

    “Teams don’t want to pitch to them and they are going to find a way to get on base and when they do, watch out,” Tuttle said of the Hilliard sisters, who had a combined 98 hits this season.

    La Habra (23-8) was led by sophomore left fielder Makenna Caffrey, who had three hits, and junior third baseman Mireya Gonzalez, who slugged a solo home run.

    La Mirada took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning after La Habra senior pitcher Samantha Cervantes walked the first three batters.

    After an out, the first run came across on a bases-loaded walk to freshman second baseman Fatima Serna, scoring freshman left fielder Alanna Adams.

    Thurmond knocked in two runs with a double to right field, scoring Riley and Reese Hilliard.

    La Habra scored a run in the second inning with a leadoff home run by Gonzalez. It was her fifth home run of the year.

    In the third inning for the Matadores, with runners on first and second, the next three batters all flew out to left field to end the threat.

    In the bottom half of the inning, La Habra loaded the bases with singles by senior second baseman Milee Valencia and Caffrey and a walk to Gonzalez.

    With two outs, senior center fielder Georgia Rickenbacker hit a one-hopper to La Mirada first baseman Juliana Rivara, but the got away from her. It was scooped up by Serna with her glove, and she flipped the ball — using her glove — to first base for the out that ended the threat.

    Two La Habra errors led to another run for the Matadores in the fifth, making the score 4-1. Riley Hilliard came home on an error on a fly ball.

    “It feels amazing,” said Riley Hilliard, of the team going to the championship game. “I’m so proud of my girls, as we all worked together. I’m so proud of our underclassmen, who stepped up to get us here.

    “It’s huge for Tuttle. He’s put a lot into this and a lot of work and I’m so happy for him.”

    La Habra had runners on in the bottom of the fifth, but two ground outs ended the threat by the Highlanders.

    A big strikeout by Ortega, with Rickenbacker in scoring position at third, ended a sixth-inning threat by La Habra.

    With the bases loaded in the seventh inning and La Habra threatening one last time, Ortega got a ground ball to Riley Hilliard and a force out at second to send the Matadores to the title game.

    Ortega, who improved to 20-2 this season, struck out six batters. She has 160 strikeouts in 132 innings this season.

     

     

    ​ Orange County Register 

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