Hills

Emergency services are under strain due to the ‘worst’ fires in Portugal in years, Al Jazeera’s Sonia Gallego says.

Thousands of firefighters backed by the military are battling dozens of wildfires across Spain and Portugal as the death toll has increased to six since the outbreaks began.

Two firefighters were killed on Sunday – one in each country, both in road accidents – taking the death toll to two in Portugal and four in Spain.

The Iberian Peninsula has been particularly affected by wildfires that have ravaged Southern Europe this summer. They have been fuelled by heatwaves and drought blamed on climate change.

On Monday, five major fires remained active in Portugal with more than 3,800 firefighters tackling them, civil protection authorities said.

“We still have firefighters who are monitoring the area here, the occasional smoke which is coming out from the land here, but of course, these are the charred remains of the flames that just completely consumed these hills,” Al Jazeera’s Sonia Gallego said, reporting from Tarouca, Portugal.

The fires in the Portuguese town are now under control, but emergency services are worried about the possibility of them reigniting, Gallego said.

Emergency services are already under “enormous strain” in what appears to be some of the “worst” fires in the area in years, she added.

President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said a firefighter died on Sunday in a traffic accident that seriously injured two colleagues.

A former mayor in the eastern town of Guarda also died on Friday while trying to fight a fire.

About 2,160sq km (835sq miles) of land has burned across Portugal since the start of the year.

Neighbouring Spain battles blazes too

In Spain, more than 3,430sq km (1,325sq miles) of land has burned this year, setting a new national record, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.

The head of Spain’s Civil Protection and Emergencies agency, Virginia Barcones, told broadcaster TVE on Monday that there were 23 “active fires” that pose a serious and direct threat to people.

The fires, now in their second week, were concentrated in the northwestern regions of Galicia, Castile and Leon, and Extremadura.

In Ourense province of Galicia, firefighters battled to put out fires as locals in just shorts and T-shirts used water from hoses and buckets to try to stop the spread.

Officials in Castile and Leon said a firefighter died on Sunday night when the water truck he was driving flipped over on a steep forest road and down a slope.

Two other volunteer firefighters have died in Castile and Leon while a Romanian employee of a riding school north of Madrid lost his life trying to protect horses from a fire.

Grange Hill star Lee MacDonald has issued a stark warning after his latest skin cancer scare.

Actor Lee MacDonald has spoken candidly about his recent cancer scare, delivering a crucial message to viewers.

With soaring temperatures expected, health experts have emphasised the vital importance of sun protection – something Lee passionately advocates following his personal ordeal.

During Monday’s instalment of Good Morning Britain, the Grange Hill favourite discussed his skin cancer worry with hosts Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley.

Richard pointed out that Lee has faced two separate scares, with the 57-year-old revealing his initial concern occurred a year ago.

He explained: “It was found to be non-cancerous. Then, O2 are now doing a campaign for skin cancer awareness.

“On the back of that, I booked an appointment just for the doctors, I’ve got a little rash. It turns out it’s a keratosis, which is a pre-cancerous spot. I’m going to have it burnt out.”

The ITV presenter enquired: “So, that means it could turn cancerous?” Lee acknowledged this was indeed a possibility, reports the Manchester Evening News.

He continued: “It was just on the back of going and getting checked out, I think we really need to concentrate on putting skincare on and looking at blemishes on your face and going to get them checked out.”

Susanna then stressed the significance of applying sun cream before asking Lee to discuss his father’s skin cancer diagnosis.

The actor revealed: “My dad was a driver, for years he would sit with his arm out of the window. My mum would go on about his arm, saying it’s getting burned all the time.

“Later in life, he had skin cancer cut out from that arm.”

Richard pointed out that this cancer is incredibly common for American lorry drivers, who often dangle their arm outside the window whilst on lengthy journeys.

Nevertheless, Lee revealed that his skin cancer risk stemmed not from sun exposure, but from his sunbed usage decades earlier.

He explained: “Before I went to nightclubs years ago, I would lay on the sunbeds for an hour a week. I’d do a Tuesday and Thursday from about 17 until I was around 26 (years old).

“That’s what the doctor said it is; it’s probably the sunbeds rather than the sun; I don’t go out in the sun much because of- being aware of the risks.”

As the chat drew to a close, Lee shared with the two ITV presenters that he always applies sunscreen during fishing trips with his son, regardless of cloud cover.

Good Morning Britain continues weekdays on ITV from 6am.

Civita di Bagnoregio, in the Alta Tuscia region of central Italy, is slowly disappearing as the tuff hill it was built on crumbles – but tourists are still flocking in their droves

A quaint town tucked away in the Lazio hills, less than two hours from Rome, is experiencing a tourist boom as visitors flock to see it before it’s too late. Civita di Bagnoregio, situated in central Italy’s Alta Tuscia region, perches atop a fragile tuff hill that’s gradually eroding.

Dubbed “the dying city” since the 1960s, recent studies in 2020 revealed that the hill shrinks by an average of seven centimetres annually. Researchers have calculated that the land surrounding Civita has diminished by 20 to 25% over the last half-millennium – a decline that’s expected to persist.

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Boasting a rich history that dates back around 2,500 years, Civita di Bagnoregio was established by the Etruscans, reports the Express. The city once lay on a crucial route linking the Tiber River to Lake Bolsena, serving as a key communication pathway.

The Etruscans, cognisant of the area’s seismic volatility, undertook measures to safeguard it from earthquakes by constructing dams and drainage systems for effective rainwater management.

Following the Etruscans, the Romans continued these protective efforts, but subsequent neglect led to rapid deterioration and eventual desertion.

Compounding the issue, the tuff hill beneath Civita is continuously worn away by the erosive forces of two rivers in the valley below, along with the relentless wear of rain and wind.

Civita di Bagnoregio is undeniably one of Italy’s most picturesque and distinctive towns, appearing to float in mid-air on foggy days. Currently, the ancient village is home to around ten steadfast residents, their deep love for their homeland keeping them rooted there.

Thanks to these individuals, Civita retains its predominantly medieval characteristics, enchanting the numerous tourists who visit each year.

Access to the village is provided by a towering 300m concrete bridge, constructed in 1965, which links Civita to the nearby town of Bagnoregio. At the end of this bridge, the Porta di Santa Maria opens onto the quaint alleyways that define Civita.

The streets are adorned with the Renaissance palaces of the Colesanti, Bocca and Alemanni families, alongside typical low houses featuring small balconies and external stairs characteristic of medieval architecture.

There’s certainly no shortage of sights to see and activities to enjoy in Civita. Highlights include the compact Antica Civitas Museum, housed within a residential building, and the cave of San Bonaventura.

This ancient chamber tomb, carved into the tuff wall, is named after Friar Bonaventura da Bagnoregio (1217-1274), the biographer of Saint Francis of Assisi.

The 2025 Tony Awards winners are being announced in a telecast hosted by Cynthia Erivo, and it’s a night in which so many major categories remain tossups. Three musicals — “Maybe Happy Ending,” “Buena Vista Social Club” and “Death Becomes Her” — are tied with the most nominations, with 10 each. The best play frontrunners are an eclectic bunch too: Cole Escola’s crowd-pleasing romp “Oh, Mary!” Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s Pulitzer Prize-winner “Purpose” and Kimberly Belflower’s “John Proctor Is the Villain,” a reexamination of “The Crucible.”

Hollywood’ invasion of Broadway is reflected in a starry list of acting nominees that includes George Clooney, Sadie Sink, Sarah Snook, Mia Farrow, Daniel Dae Kim, Darren Criss, Bob Odenkirk, Conrad Ricamora and Jonathan Groff. The performance that cut the deepest for Times theater critic Charles McNulty was six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald as Rose in George C. Wolfe’s revival of “Gypsy,” which he called “a harrowing reexamination of the musical through the historical prism of race.”

Here’s how to watch the Tony Awards, but if you can’t, check back here often. This list of winners will be updated in real time Sunday.

Lead actress in a play

WINNER: Sarah Snook, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”
Laura Donnelly, “The Hills of California”
Mia Farrow, “The Roommate”
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, “Purpose”
Sadie Sink, “John Proctor Is the Villain”

Original score

WINNER: “Maybe Happy Ending” (music by Will Aronson, lyrics by Will Aronson and Hue Park)
“Dead Outlaw” (music and lyrics. by David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna)
“Death Becomes Her” (music and lyrics. by Julia Mattison and Noel Carey)
“Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical” (music and lyrics by David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts)
“Real Women Have Curves: The Musical” (music and lyrics by Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez)

Costume design of a musical

WINNER: Paul Tazewell, “Death Becomes Her”
Dede Ayite, “Buena Vista Social Club”
Gregg Barnes, “Boop! The Musical”
Clint Ramos, “Maybe Happy Ending”
Catherine Zuber, “Just in Time”

Costume design of a play

WINNER: Marg Horwell, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”
Brenda Abbandandolo, “Good Night, and Good Luck”
Rob Howell, “The Hills of California”
Holly Pierson, “Oh, Mary!”
Brigitte Reiffenstuel, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”

Scenic design of a musical

WINNER: Dane Laffrey and George Reeve, “Maybe Happy Ending”
Rachel Hauck, “Swept Away”
Arnulfo Maldonado, “Buena Vista Social Club”
Derek McLane, “Death Becomes Her”
Derek McLane, “Just in Time”

Scenic design of a play

WINNER: Miriam Buether and 59, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”
Marsha Ginsberg, “English”
Rob Howell, “The Hills of California”
Marg Horwell and David Bergman, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”
Scott Pask, “Good Night, and Good Luck”

Lighting design of a musical

WINNER: Jack Knowles, “Sunset Blvd.”
Tyler Micoleau, “Buena Vista Social Club”
Scott Zielinski and Ruey Horng Sun, “Floyd Collins”
Ben Stanton, “Maybe Happy Ending”
Justin Townsend, “Death Becomes Her”

Lighting design of a play

WINNER: Jon Clark, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”
Natasha Chivers, “The Hills of California”
Heather Gilbert and David Bengali, “Good Night, and Good Luck”
Natasha Katz and Hannah Wasileski, “John Proctor Is the Villain”
Nick Schlieper, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”

Choreography

WINNER: Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck, “Buena Vista Social Club”
Joshua Bergasse, “Smash”
Camille A. Brown, “Gypsy”
Christopher Gattelli, “Death Becomes Her”
Jerry Mitchell, “Boop! The Musical”

Orchestrations

WINNER: Marco Paguia, “Buena Vista Social Club”
Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber, “Just in Time”
Will Aronson, “Maybe Happy Ending”
Bruce Coughlin, “Floyd Collins”
David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber, “Sunset Blvd.”

Sound design of a musical

WINNER: Jonathan Deans, “Buena Vista Social Club”
Adam Fisher, “Sunset Blvd.”
Peter Hylenski, “ Just in Time”
Peter Hylenski, “Maybe Happy Ending”
Dan Moses Schreier, “Floyd Collins”

Sound design of a play

WINNER: Paul Arditti, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”
Palmer Hefferan, “John Proctor Is the Villain”
Daniel Kluger, “Good Night, and Good Luck”
Nick Powell, “The Hills of California”
Clemence Williams, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”

Book of a musical

WINNER: “Maybe Happy Ending,” Will Aronson and Hue Park
“Buena Vista Social Club,” Marco Ramirez
“Dead Outlaw,” Itamar Moses
“Death Becomes Her,” Marco Pennette
“Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical,” David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts

Musical

“Buena Vista Social Club”
“Dead Outlaw”
“Death Becomes Her”
“Maybe Happy Ending”
“Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical”

Play

“English” by Sanaz Toossi
“The Hills of California” by Jez Butterworth
“John Proctor Is the Villain” by Kimberly Belflower
“Oh, Mary!” by Cole Escola
“Purpose” by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

Revival of a play

“Eureka Day”
“Romeo + Juliet”
“Thornton Wilder’s Our Town”
“Yellow Face”

Revival of a musical

“Floyd Collins”
“Gypsy”
“Pirates! The Penzance Musical”
“Sunset Blvd.”

Lead actor in a play

George Clooney, “Good Night, and Good Luck”
Cole Escola, “Oh, Mary!”
Jon Michael Hill, “Purpose”
Daniel Dae Kim, “Yellow Face”
Harry Lennix, “Purpose”
Louis McCartney, “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”

Lead actor in a musical

Darren Criss, “Maybe Happy Ending”
Andrew Durand, “Dead Outlaw”
Tom Francis, “Sunset Blvd.”
Jonathan Groff, “Just in Time”
James Monroe Iglehart, “A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical”
Jeremy Jordan, “Floyd Collins”

Lead actress in a musical

Megan Hilty, “Death Becomes Her”
Audra McDonald, “Gypsy”
Jasmine Amy Rogers, “Boop! The Musical”
Nicole Scherzinger, “Sunset Blvd.”
Jennifer Simard, “Death Becomes Her”

Featured actress in a musical

Natalie Venetia Belcon, “Buena Vista Social Club”
Julia Knitel, “Dead Outlaw”
Gracie Lawrence, “Just in Time”
Justina Machado, “Real Women Have Curves: The Musical”
Joy Woods, “Gypsy”

Featured actor in a musical

Brooks Ashmanskas, “Smash”
Jeb Brown, “Dead Outlaw”
Danny Burstein, “Gypsy”
Jak Malone, “Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical”
Taylor Trensch, “Floyd Collins”

Featured actress in a play

Tala Ashe, “English”
Jessica Hecht, “Eureka Day”
Marjan Neshat, “English”
Fina Strazza, “John Proctor Is the Villain”
Kara Young, “Purpose”

Featured actor in a play

Glenn Davis, “Purpose”
Gabriel Ebert, “John Proctor Is the Villain”
Francis Jue, “Yellow Face”
Bob Odenkirk, “Glengarry Glen Ross”
Conrad Ricamora, “Oh, Mary!”

Direction of a play

Knud Adams, “English”
Sam Mendes, “The Hills of California”
Sam Pinkleton, “Oh, Mary!”
Danya Taymor, “John Proctor Is the Villain”
Kip Williams, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”

Direction of a musical

Saheem Ali, “Buena Vista Social Club”
Michael Arden, “Maybe Happy Ending”
David Cromer, “Dead Outlaw”
Christopher Gattelli, “Death Becomes Her”
Jamie Lloyd, “Sunset Blvd.”

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s daughter Gracie McGraw has clarified her coming out journey.

On Monday (2 June), the eldest child of the country music icons celebrated the start of Pride Month with a post on her Instagram story.

“EVERYONE GET MORE GAY NOW. HAPPY FREAKING PRIDE. I love being queer,” she wrote.

Shortly after uploading the joyous message, an array of media outlets interpreted Gracie’s post as a coming-out announcement, resulting in them reporting it as such.

However, it didn’t take long for the 28-year-old to shut down the claims and reveal that she’s been out and proud. 

“It has come to my attention that some tabloids have taken an Instagram story I posted yesterday and have used it as clickbait, saying I’ve come out. Let me be VERY clear here… I have been an out and proud queer, bisexual woman, and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she wrote.

“I have and will always be very vocal about my support of LGBTQIA+ rights and the community, but thank you very much to these tabloids for shedding light that it’s pride month!!!”

Instagram: @graciemcgra

Gracie went on to deliver an inspiring message to other LGBTQIA+ people who may not have the support, love or understanding from their families.

“Just know that there is a beautiful community out there that loves you and cares about and for you!! Check on your people and keep safe out there. Give love to each other. GM,” she concluded.

While Tim and Faith have not commented on Gracie’s posts, they have expressed their love and support for their daughter in the past.

In 2020, Tim gushed about his eldest daughter’s acting career in LA, telling PEOPLE: “She makes me proud every day because she’s such a strong, independent young lady who speaks her mind. She makes me proud every day of the way she lives her life.”

Instagram: @graciemcgra

While Gracie has been openly queer for some time now, there are a handful of public figures who have recently come out.

Check out all the celebrities who’ve come out as LGBTQ+ in 2025 (so far) here. 

In a world trying to erase LGBTQIA+ stories, we keep writing them. Join our mission as shareholders in Gay Times and help us fight for your rights. Find out more at investors.gaytimes.com.

Addison Moorman could finally breathe. The senior pitcher couldn’t hold her emotions back. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she embraced her teammates on Cal State Northridge’s softball diamond.

A year ago, she struck out 19 batters — only to fall short 1-0 in14 innings. Two years previous, Granada Hills was one run away from City Section glory.

On Saturday in Northridge, so close to home, the City Section Open Division title, the program’s first since 1981, was Moorman’s — and the Highlanders — to celebrate in an 11-2 drubbing of archrival Carson. Moorman put the team on her back, striking out 11 while giving up just four hits and two earned runs across her complete-game performance.

“It feels so good to go out on top, especially against [Carson],” said Moorman, who signed with Lehigh in November. “To finally beat them, overcome that hurdle and then leave as a champion, feels really great.”

Carson held a 1-0 lead early in the game when Atiana Rodriguez and Letu’u Simi combined for back-to-back doubles in the second inning, but from the bottom of the second onward, it was all Granada Hills at the plate.

Addison Moorman delivers a pitch against Carson on Saturday.

(Craig Weston)

The Highlanders capitalized off of two Colts errors in the second inning. Second baseman Lainey Brown and right fielder Elysse Diaz singled home runs, while Giselle Merida tripled to bring home another.

“I’ve been waiting,” said Diaz who went two for four with two RBIs and a double. “It was just boiling and boiling and then here, [the offense] just exploded.”

By the time Moorman returned to the circle for her third inning of work, Granada Hills had scored seven runs on six hits against Carson pitcher Giselle Pantoja — who shut the Highlanders down in 2024 — building a cushion for its star pitcher to go out and do what she’d done all season: dominate.

“‘Every time a pitcher always feels that burden of carrying the team, and [Moorman] dealt with it well,” said Granada Hills coach Ivan Garcia. “Her character is greater than her talent, the way she handles her teammates, the way she leads by example. I mean, you wouldn’t know that she’s a star pitcher, the way she puts bases away, the way she cleans up.”

Moorman made just one big mistake on Saturday — leaving a pitch over the plate to Colts center fielder Rylee Gardner, who desposited the ball over the center-field wall for a solo home run (her eighth of the year) in the sixth inning.

Otherwise, Moorman kept Carson off balance all game. She set down 13 consecutive batters between the second and sixth innings, striking out her 11th batter of the game as the penultimate at-bat of her high school career.

Giselle Merida slides safety into the base for an RBI triple against Carson in the second inning Saturday.

(Craig Weston)

For Moorman, winning a CIF title just 10 minutes away from Granada Hills High, was a moment worth savoring, she said. For Garcia — who said he was happy to see his team goofing off and having fun at a pregame lunch, loosening up before the biggest game of his coaching career — he is looking forward to the 1981 title no longer lurking around his shoulders.

“Third time’s the charm,” he said.

Earlier in the day in Northridge, Taft won its first City Section title in the softball program’s history with an 8-3 victory over Marquez in the Division II final. Legacy made no doubt of its City Section Division I title triumph later Saturday afternoon, shutting out Port of Los Angeles 5-0.

New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson has been accused of raping and abusing a woman who says she dated the former Duke standout and No. 1 overall draft pick from 2018-2023.

In a civil lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, a woman identified as Jane Doe provides details of two alleged instances in 2020 during which Williamson raped her in a Beverly Hills apartment he was renting at the time.

“These two incidents were not isolated,” the lawsuit states. “Defendant continued to abuse, rape, assault, and batter Plaintiff in California and other states, including Louisiana and Texas, until the relationship ended in 2023.”

Williamson’s attorneys at Barrasso Usdin Kupperman Freeman & Sarver, LLC, denied the accusations in a statement emailed to The Times on Friday.

“The allegations contained in the complaint are categorically false and reckless,” the firm stated. “This appears to be an attempt to exploit a professional athlete driven by a financial motive rather than any legitimate grievance.”

Williamson’s attorneys said he and the accuser “never dated, but did maintain a consensual, casual relationship.” The firm added that “Mr. Williamson also intends to file counterclaims and seek significant damages for this defamatory lawsuit.”

Williamson’s accuser is seeking unspecified damages for nine causes of action that include assault, sexual battery, domestic violence, burglary, stalking and false imprisonment.

“Our client and we do not want to litigate this case in the press. That’s not our intent,” attorney Sam Taylor from the Lanier Law Firm, which is representing the accuser, told The Times on Friday.

“However, I do say this is a very serious case, reflected in the allegations in the complaint. Our client just looks forward to her day in court where she can talk to a jury of her peers and tell them what happened to her and how bad it was and see justice against Mr. Williamson.”

Taylor said that “as of now,” his client is not planning to file lawsuits in any of the other locations where alleged incidents took place.

The Pelicans did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.

According to the lawsuit, the two began dating during Williamson’s freshman, and only, year at Duke, where he played during the 2018-19 season.

“During the course of their relationship, Defendant engaged in a continuing pattern of abusive, controlling, and threatening behavior toward Plaintiff,” the lawsuit states. “His wrongful conduct occurred in Louisiana and continued thereafter across several states. The abuse was sexual, physical, emotional, and financial in nature.”

Williamson moved to Beverly Hills for training and rented a house in the area during the fall of 2020, according to the filing. The lawsuit provides explicit details of two alleged instances in which Williamson raped the accuser, “on or about” Sept. 23, 2020, and on Oct. 10, 2020.

The lawsuit also alleges that Williamson committed many other “acts of criminal violence” against his accuser during their relationship, including strangling her multiple times to the point she lost consciousness, suffocating and/or smothering her, beating and kicking her, threatening to kill her and her family members, and pointing a loaded firearm to her head.

Williamson “was either drunk or on cocaine” while allegedly committing many of those acts, the lawsuit states.

“As a direct and proximate result of Defendant’s conduct, Plaintiff has suffered severe emotional distress, anxiety, depression, humiliation, loss of sleep, and other physical and emotional injuries,” the lawsuit states. “As a further direct and proximate result of Defendant’s conduct, Plaintiff has incurred expenses for medical and psychological treatment, therapy, and counseling.”

Granada Hills has earned the top seed in the City Section Open Division softball playoffs three years in a row, but in that time it has yet to be No. 1 at the end of the season.

The Highlanders will get another chance to do just that — and get a little redemption in the process — when they face their nemesis Carson in the championship game Saturday at 3 p.m. at Cal State Northridge.

“You’re peaking at the right time,” head coach Ivan Garcia told his team after Wednesday’s five-inning 19-0 semifinal shutout of visiting Venice. “This was the best game we’ve played so far from start to finish, but we have one more. Let’s put a punctuation mark on the season!”

Pitcher Addison Moorman struck out nine of the 16 batters she faced and got plenty of support from the offense as the Highlanders (27-3) batted around in the first inning and scored six runs. They added four runs in the second on RBI singles by Samantha Esparza, Annabella Ramirez and Jasmine Soriano and an RBI triple by Zoe Justman.

In the third, the home side kept pouring it on as Lainey Brown hit a two-run single and Elysse Diaz added a two-run triple. Granada Hills finished with 15 hits — three each by Esparza and Diaz and two each by Soriano, Justman and Brown. The Highlanders’ defense was also on display as center fielder Jocelyn Jimenez made a running over-the-shoulder grab to rob Gondoliers hitter Sandy Carrera of extra bases in the fourth.

Granada Hills senior Addison Moorman tossed a one-hitter with nine strikeouts in five innings in a 19-0 shutout of Venice.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Granada Hills has outscored its first two playoff opponents 32-0 and only a bloop single in the second inning kept Moorman from back-to-back no-hitters.

“We’ve bonded more since last year and I’ve worked on my changeup,” said Moorman, who signed with Lehigh University in Pennsylvania in November. “We’re playing as a team right now and we know what it’s like to be on the big stage.”

The Highlanders have posted an 80-12 record the last three seasons, their only two defeats in City competition coming in extra innings to Carson in the finals. They get another crack at the third-seeded Colts (22-3-1), who routed San Pedro 11-1 in Wednesday’s other semifinal, and hope the third time’s the charm. Granada Hills will not participate in the SoCal Regionals like it did one year ago.

“Losing in the finals the last two years has helped us with our mindset and will help to eliminate the nerves because we know what to expect,” said Brown, a Manhattan University commit who graduates alongside Moorman on Thursday night. “Our coaches have preached all season ‘next man up’ and go base to base. We’ve all put in a ton of work and we’re extra motivated because of who we’re playing [in the finals].”

Brown is happy the game will be at CSUN instead of in the South Bay, where the previous two finals were played (at Cal State Dominguez Hills in 2023 and at Long Beach State last spring when Carson prevailed 1-0 in 14 innings despite Moorman’s 19 strikeouts).

Samantha Esparza slides home in the third inning of Granada Hills’ 19-0 victory over Venice.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

“I’ve done camps there [at Northridge] and the last two years it’s been long bus rides,” Brown added. “Last year we got there late and couldn’t warm up efficiently, so I’m glad this time it’s right down the street.”

Carson also appears to be rounding into postseason form. The Colts mercied Birmingham 16-5 in the quarterfinals of the eight-team Open bracket and avenged two Marine League losses to second-seeded San Pedro (17-4) on Wednesday for their sixth win in a row.

Carson has won five City crowns, all in the upper division, since 2011. Granada Hills is seeking its first title in 44 years, having won the 4A Division in 1975, 1980 and 1981.

“I’m graduating tomorrow night, yet it’s been hard to focus on school,” Moorman admitted. “It slips my mind. It’s all about Saturday right now.”

Granada Hills means business in the City Section softball playoffs that began Thursday. Beaten in the championship game the last two seasons, the Highlanders opened action with a 13-0, mercy-rule win over Banning in the Open Division.

Addison Moorman gave up no hits and struck out 11 in five innings. Lainey Brown and Elysse Diaz each had three hits. Granada Hills, seeded No. 1 in the eight-team tournament, will play host to Venice in Wednesday’s semifinals.

Venice 2, El Camino Real 1: In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Gondoliers won it when Abigail Acensio got a walk-off single with the bases loaded. Violet Acensio struck out four with no walks in nine innings. Sophomore Remy Glassman of El Camino Real struck out 12.

San Pedro 6, Kennedy 1: Caroline Baker scattered nine hits, while striking out eight with no walks, for the Pirates, who will have a rematch with Marine League rival Carson in the semifinals on Wednesday. Jenna Ortega had two hits and two RBIs.

Carson 16, Birmingham 5: The Colts picked up a mercy-rule win in the sixth inning. Rylee Gardner hit two home run and drove in six.