LA MESALA MESA — Giselle Garcia picked the right time to pitch her first no-hitter of the season.
The ace pitcher from Mater Dei Catholic High missed hurling a perfect game by one batter but was in complete control as the Crusaders won their second straight CIF Open Division softball championship with a 10-0 romp over Rancho Buena Vista in Saturday’s final at Helix High.
“She was solid,” longtime Mater Dei coach Mike Centrullo said of Garcia, a senior who struck out 12. The right-hander struck out the side in three different innings.
“The funny thing was that before today’s game my dad said ‘Watch, you might throw a no-hitter,’” Garcia said. “I’ve been shy of one by one or two hits, but it started going through my head today around the fifth inning when I saw the score.”
The game ended on a walk-off two-run home run by third baseman Sami Gutierrez in the bottom of the sixth inning that brought on the 10-run mercy rule.
Gutierrez also had two singles earlier and scored three runs. She also hit a pair of RBI singles in the second and third innings to help her own cause as she improved her season record to 21-2. The right-hander will pitch for Pace University of New York next season.
The win left Mater Dei with a 26-2 record and a seventh section championship, but the team opted out of the Southern California regional playoffs. The Crusaders won the Open Division title in 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic erased the 2020 season. Mater Dei also won a Division II crown in 2014 after winning four straight Division IV championships from 2010-13.
“They’re all special in their own way,” Centrullo said. “This is a very well-balanced team. They just come to work, flip the switch and get the job done. They’re a pleasure to coach.”
Mater Dei was the second team from the Metro Mesa League to win a section title on Saturday. Otay Ranch won the Division II championship earlier in the day with a 4-0 win over Helix.
RBV (23-7) was seeking a third section championship in program history.
“They’re a great team,” Longhorns coach Theresa Murillo said of the Crusaders. “You can only have one winner.”
Team home run leader Paige Dimler finished with 11 home runs for the season after going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. The senior slugger is headed to the University of Arizona for her freshman season.
Hoff is a freelance writer.
