Clovis Softball Continues on in Playoffs

The Clovis High School softball team celebrated their 11th straight Valley Championships on May 28, 2022. (Courtesy of CIF Central Section/Twitter)

The Clovis High softball team recently won its 11th section championship for the Division I Central Section on May 28th. But this is not where the team intends to stop. 

As of today June 2nd, they will be playing in the 2022 CIF NorCal Softball Championship semifinals for Division I. To reach this destination, however, Clovis High certainly had to fulfill a journey. 

Finishing their regular season with a record of 22-6, they also boasted a 7-3 record in TRAC play. On May 20th, they advanced in the playoffs to the Division I semifinals after a 2-0 win over an impressive Paso Robles team. 

The Cougars faced Buchanan softball on May 24th in the semi’s and were able to push across nine runs in a 9-0 victory. Senior pitcher Lauryn Carranco tossed a complete game, one hit shutout while also striking out nine Buchanan batters. Pitching both games of the playoffs, Carranco only allowed three hits total through the first two rounds. 

Then came the Division I Championship set at Margie Wright Diamond on Saturday, May 28th where #3 ranked Clovis would face off against #4 ranked Central. In the bottom of the third, Ashley Rocha batting from the left handed batters box sliced a triple down the left field line scoring Sarah Azzarello for a 1-0 lead. Rocha would later score on a Kaylynn Munoz fielder‘s choice to push the lead to 2-0. 

And it was these two runs that would prove to be the most fatal for Central, as Cal State Northridge commit Lauryn Carranco would continue her playoff dominance, finishing her third consecutive complete game shutout. 

Upon winning their 11th school softball Valley Championship, Clovis softball would then move on to the Norcal playoffs to play Heritage on Wednesday, June 1st. 

And can you guess who pitched? 

Once again Lauryn Carranco threw another unsurprising shutout against Heritage, helping Clovis to win 3-0. Thanks to the help of an incredible catch by second baseman Ashley Rocha, Carranco was allowed to get out of a bases loaded jam in the 7th. 

Clovis High would go on to play in the semifinals on June 2nd against Del Oro. For the first time in four games, a run was scored against Lauryn Carranco, two runs in fact. Heading into the 4th inning, and down by two, the Cougars put up a “five spot” on the scoreboard, sending five runners to score. This would prove to be all and more than the Cougars would need, as they ended up winning the game 6-2. 

Lauryn Carranco earlier in the same day was awarded TRAC Pitcher of the Year honors for her efforts this season. The Cougars will play in the Division I NorCal Regional Championship this Saturday, June 4th at #1 ranked St. Francis of Mountain View. 

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JT is a recent college grad with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. He is mainly interested in sports and entertainment but covers a wide array of subjects. He currently writes for the Fresno State Baseball Dugout Club. JT looks forward to continuing his career at the Clovis Roundup and is excited to be working closely with a community that is very proud of its people.