Pitcher Violet Ascencio struck out 13 to lead Venice High to a 7-2 win over Eagle Rock in the City Section Division I softball championship game on Saturday.
Abilgail Ascencio had two doubles and finished with three hits.
Players held up a photo of the late Angelo Gasca, Venice’s football coach who also helped coach softball.
Division II
Arleta 11, Marshall 0: Naomi Tachin struck out four, walked none and led Arleta to the Division II title. Adriana Vasquez went four for four and Brenda Aguilar hit two doubles and finished with three RBIs.
Division IV
Franklin 17, Huntington Park 5: The Panthers, seeded No. 14, used their bats to become Division IV champions. Kamila Sanchez had three hits and five RBIs, including two doubles and a triple.
Southern Section
Division 4
Oxnard 3, Mission Viejo 1: Rachel Godoy hit a dramatic three-run home run in the fifth inning to lead Oxnard. Destinee Herrera threw a complete game.
Division 5
Irvine Northwood 11, Grace Brethren 1: Freshman Olivia Chen threw a two-hitter for Northwood, which went from missing the playoffs last season to Division 5 champions.
Division 3
Riverside Prep 4, Great Oak 3: Lila Morris threw a complete game, and Riverside Prep took advantage of two errors in the fifth inning to win the Division 3 title. Graclyn Necochea struck out 10 for Great Oak.
Division 8
Arroyo Valley 8, San Bernardino 5: Jaylin Casillas contributed three hits and two RBIs for Arroyo Valley. Aylssa Arredondo had four RBIs for San Bernardino.
Holidaymakers could snap up bargain return flights from as low as £30 to the most popular holiday hotspots thanks to a little-known TUI Airways booking trick. The ‘insider trick’, revealed by TUI UK’s Commercial Director Chris Logan, reveals how travellers can snap up last-minute flights weeks before departure which include bargain breaks across Europe and even long-haul escapes for a fraction of the usual price.
On TUI’s dedicated ‘ Cheap Flights ’ page Brits can find seats on return routes which are regularly released at heavily reduced prices in the weeks and months leading up to departure. “If you’ve got a bit of flexibility, this is one of the easiest ways to find a great-value getaway. It’s not something everyone knows about, but checking our flights page regularly can uncover some genuinely low fares, especially closer to departure as we look to fill remaining seats,” said Chris Logan.
“We’re talking everything from quick European breaks to long-haul trips across the Caribbean, Mexico and Thailand. Because TUI Airways flies from 22 airports across the UK, it makes it easy to pick a date, pack a bag and fly from your closest regional airport.”
The best deals tend to be snapped up by those who can be flexible on dates and airports, with flights leaving from more than 22 UK airports. And it’s not just quick getaways. The deals can stretch from short breaks to two-week holidays or even longer.
Chris added: “For customers who don’t mind when or where they go, it can be a really simple way to save money on flights and land some of the best-value fares”.
Right now, Brits can find deals such as:
Seven nights in Palma de Mallorca with return flights from London Gatwick from £30 per person (1 July to 8 July)
Seven nights in Ibiza with return flights from London Stansted from £63 per person (1 July to 8 July)
Seven nights in Agadir, Morocco with return flights from Newcastle from £66 per person (8 June to 15 June)
Seven nights in Tenerife with return flights from London Gatwick from £82 per person (6 June July to 13 July)
14 nights in Cancun, Mexico with return flights from Manchester from £350 per person (7 June to 21 June)
14 nights in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic with return flights Manchester from £350 per person (6 June to 20 June)
Travellers looking to lock in value a little further ahead can also take advantage of TUI’s additional current flight offer. On TUI Airways bookings departing between July 2026 and April 2027, customers can receive £40 off per person which will be already applied to the flight price, offering even more ways to bring down the cost of a getaway.
The Southern Section will hold nine baseball championship games this weekend, led by the Division 1 final at 7 p.m. Friday at Cal State Fullerton between St. John Bosco and Norco.
Here’s a look at top matchups:
FRIDAY
Division 1: St. John Bosco vs. Norco at Cal State Fullerton, 7 p.m. Both schools will have their top pitchers ready to go, which means runs will be at a premium. Julian Garcia of St. John Bosco was in the dugout last season when the Braves won the title but couldn’t play as he was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He’s come back with a flourish, going 8-1 with a 0.88 ERA. All the Braves’ key pitchers are available, including closers Jack Champlin and Brayden Krakowski. Norco will start Jordan Ayala, who shut out Orange Lutheran in the quarterfinals. It’s going to come down to defense and someone getting a clutch hit against very good pitching.
SATURDAY
Division 2: Ganesha vs. Loyola at Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, 5:30 p.m.: Likely first-round draft pick Logan Schmidt will be on the mound for Ganesha, offering a huge challenge for the Cubs. He’s also the team’s top hitter. Loyola has faced top pitching all season in the Mission League and will have rising freshman Sheriff Hall on the mound. The Cubs also have players who can hit home runs, such as Jack Murray and Luca Marucci.
Updated baseball finals schedule. Brentwood has graduation Saturday. Game moved to 4 p.m. Mira Costa-Agoura has prom. Moved to 1 p.m. pic.twitter.com/ZdPmcZg29Q
Division 3: Mira Costa vs. Agoura at Cal State Fullerton, 4 p.m.. Both schools have prom in the evening, so watch for players rushing to cars after the game. Mira Costa has somehow made it to the final despite losing its No. 1 and No. 2 pitchers to injury. Others have stepped forward, and the hitting attack has been good in the playoffs. Austin Olness hit a two-run home run in a 12-0 semifinal win over St. Francis. Agoura, under first-year coach Adam Goldstein, is another overachiever. Senior Tyler Starling hits and pitches with the best, but it’s been underclassmen pushing the Chargers toward a title.
Division 4: Glendora vs. Laguna Beach at Cal State Fullerton, 7:30 p.m. Senior Tanner Grable leads Glendora with 36 hits and four home runs and also can pitch. Junior Dylan Yencho is having a big season for Laguna Beach, batting .455 with 50 hits and an 0.94 ERA as a closer.
Division 5: Kaiser vs. Culver City at Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, 11 a.m. Senior Tino Cuellar is Kaiser’s leadoff hitter with 34 hits. Culver City finished second to Santa Monica in the Ocean League and has a productive freshman in Matthew Riesenberg, who has 36 hits, a .431 batting average and 29 RBIs.
Division 6: Brentwood vs. Covina at Cal State Fullerton, 1 p.m. The Eagles won’t have ace Jack Kaplan available after he threw a shutout in the semifinals, but there’s plenty of hot hitters, including junior Hudson Chase, who has 42 hits and seven home runs. Covina, which knocked out Lakewood and longtime coach Spud O’Neil in the semifinals, was second in the Valle Vista League to Charter Oak. Senior Lucas Thorpe has been providing key hits all season, including four in the semifinals.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
The Granada Hills and Carson softball programs know each other so well they might as well put on their MaxPreps schedule before the season a date for their annual game to decide the City Section Open Division championship.
It’s happening for a fourth consecutive season Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Legacy High in South Gate. Last season, Granada Hills ended a three-game losing streak to the Colts.
On Wednesday, both teams won their semifinal games. Granada Hills’ No. 1 and No. 2 batters in the lineup, Elysse Diaz and Zoe Justman, had big games in a 12-9 win over San Pedro. They combined to go five for eight with five RBIs. Justman had a home run. Gina Evangelista hit an inside-the-park grand slam.
San Pedro scored five runs in the seventh to give the Highlanders a little scare.
At Carson, the Colts came away with a 12-2 semifinal win over Birmingham. Sophomore Anaiyah Popoalii had a home run, double and three RBIs. Olivia Lomeli went three for four with three RBIs. Pitcher Isabella Campos threw a complete game.
The Southern Section finalized its championship schedule for softball this week, and the Division 1 final between La Mirada and JSerra will take place Friday at 7 p.m. at Bill Barber Park in Irvine.
La Mirada is 26-4 and will be facing JSerra pitcher Liliana Escobar, the best in the Southland. La Mirada lost to JSerra 5-2 on March 7. The Matadores have been led by Riley Hilliard, who’s hitting .577 with 10 home runs.
JSerra (24-8), which began the school year winning the Southern Section flag football championship, is trying to end the year on top behind the arm of Escobar, who has 252 strikeouts in 146 innings. The top hitter has been sophomore catcher Annabel Raftery.
The Division 2 final will match Mater Dei against Whittier Christian on Friday at 4 p.m.
The Southern Section is waiting for the baseball semifinals to be played on Tuesday before announcing dates and times. The only certainty is the Division 1 final will be played on Friday at 7 p.m. at Cal State Fullerton unless either of the finalists has a scheduling issue on that date.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Clara Adams expected to win the 400-meter dash Saturday in the Southern Section Masters Meet at Moorpark High. The Long Beach Wilson junior not only won, she broke the section record, circling the track in 51.98 seconds.
“To be honest, I did not expect a 51 today … that was my end goal and I got it before state,” said Adams, who topped the previous mark [set by Norco’s Shae Anderson in 2017] by one hundredth of a second. “It says a lot about my training and teammates who push me in practice every day. I’m ecstatic.”
Even better than breaking a section record is breaking a state record and Adams was smiling wider several hours later after she and teammates Brooke Blue, Brooklyn Fowler and Saniah Varnado did just that by clocking 3:33.83 in the 4×400 relay to obliterate the time of 3:35.49 set by Moore League rival Long Beach Poly in 2004. Rosary Academy was a distant second in 3:41.33.
“The 400 was our first race of the day, all of us ran it and we all qualified for state and that carries over to the rest of the day,” said Adams, who ran the third leg and widened the Bruins’ lead before handing the baton to Varnado for the anchor leg. “The state record is a bonus. We handled our business and now we have a week to prepare to go for the national record.”
Florida Montverde Academy owns the national record of 3:31.68, achieved at the 2024 New Balance Nationals Outdoor in Philadelphia, but Wilson’s foursome was content with the state record, at least for now.
“We already had a good lead when I got it but everyone was getting loud and I was pushing,” Varnado said. “I was thinking we could run in the high 3:30s. I’m proud of how well we did and hopefully we can do even bigger things at state.”
The CIF state track and field championships are next weekend (prelims Friday and finals Saturday) at Buchanan High in Clovis and as usual the Southern Section will be well-represented as numerous athletes met the qualifying standards.
After three-peating in the 1,600 and 800 one week before at the Southern Section finals, Corona Santiago senior Braelyn Combe won both events again Saturday, winning the 1,600 in 4:43.03, well off her 4:41.36 effort at the section finals but still more than two seconds faster than runner-up Reese Holley of JSerra. She won the 800 Saturday by about the same margin in 2:06.04.
Calabasas dominated at the section finals with four runners breaking the Division 3 record in the 100. They were back at it Saturday as last week’s champion Malia Rainey ran 11.33 to win the first heat. Devyn Sproles equaled Rainey’s 11.41 one week before to win the second heat and take second overall. Marley Scoggins (11.46) was third and Coyotes teammate Olivia Kirk (11.62) was fifth.
Tra’via Flournoy led off Rosary’s 4×100 relay, which won in 44.79 at the Masters Meet on Saturday in Moorpark.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Rosary’s 4×100 relay established itself as the favorite at state finals with a 44.79, more than a second faster than runner-up Canyon Country Canyon. The Royals’ foursome of Tra’via Flournoy, Justine Wilson, Pfeiffer Lee and Maliyah Collins is hoping to top the state-record (44.23) it set at Arcadia in April when it heads north for the state meet.
“It wasn’t a [personal record] but it was faster than last week,” said sophomore Collins, who ran the anchor leg. “This was a tuneup. Our handoffs were clean and we got the baton around the track. That was our main focus.”
West Ranch junior Tamea Crear (23.50), Kirk (23.54) and Rosary’s Wilson (23.61) and Collins (23.69) took the top four spots in the 200 meters.
San Jacinto Valley Academy sophomore Kaaliyah Lacy clocked 13.44 to win the 100 hurdles, one hundredth off her state-leading time that earned her the Division 4 section title one week ago. Varnado won the 300 hurdles in 41.53.
Irvine senior and Duke commit Summer Wilson, a three-time Southern Section champion in the 3,200, ran a new-season best (10:14.45) and shaved nearly 10 seconds off her time in the Division 2 sectional race.
Irvine’s Summer Wilson wins the 3200 meters in 10:14.45 at the Masters Meet after placing third last year.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
After sweeping the all three jumps events at the Division 3 section finals, Jurupa Valley senior AB Hernandez did the same Saturday, winning the long jump in 20 feet, 0.75 inches, the triple jump in 40-7 and the high jump in 5-8.
Los Alamitos senior Cassidy Nguyen cleared 13-2 to win the pole vault while Aliso Niguel was first in the discus (165-10) and shot put (49-0) after winning the Division I section crown in both last week.
Woodbridge junior Aidan Antonio won the 3,200 boys race in 8:55.30 while Sterling White of Oaks Christian became the first freshman in state history to break nine minutes, finishing seventh in 8:59.26 to break the ninth-grade record of 9:01.1 set by Eric Hulst of Laguna Beach in 1973.
Riverside King’s Maximo Zavaleta (4:06.30) and Antonio (4:06.54) battled all the way to the finish line to claim the top two spots in the 1,600.
Having won the Division 3 boys title in 38.39 one week earlier, Servite’s 4×100 relay won Saturday’s race in 40.17, followed by Moorpark (40.60) and Loyola (40.83).
“I like the first leg and coming out of the blocks because I get to see my teammates win,” said Jace Wells, whose exchange to Jorden Wells was smooth. Kamil Pelovello and Benjamin Harris ran the last two legs. The foursome set the state record (39.70) at Arcadia.
Harris won the 100 in a wind-aided 10.17 (one hundredth faster than his time in the Division 3 section finals last week), then won the 200 in 20.80 (31 hundredths slower than his winning time a week ago).
“It’s what I expected — I’m proud of it,” Harris said of his 100 time. “I just wanted to execute, win my race and move on. There’s more work to be done.”
Loyola’s Ejam Yohannes beats Servite’s Jaelen Hunter by 11 hundredths of a second in the 400-meter dash.
(Steve Galluzzo / For the Times)
In the most exciting finish of the day, Loyola senior Ejam Yohannes edged Servite sophomore Jaelen Hunter by 11 hundredths of a second in 46.40 in the 400 meters, one week after Hunter ran 46.36 to set a section Division 3 record. Johannes cut three tenths off his Division I winning time last week.
Upland (3:18.54) won the boys 4×400 and Gardena Serra (3:18.88) was second. Crean Lutheran’s Noah Richardson cleared 15-6 to win the pole vault while Redondo Union’s Bo Ausmus won the discus with a throw of 185-7 and the shot put with a mark of 61-9.
Having won the Southern Section Division 3 high jump crown in a lifetime best and state-leading 7-01 seven days earlier, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame senior JJ Harel still had the best height Saturday at 6-10, tied with Nathaniel Baca but winning on fewer misses. Harel aims to repeat as state champion.
Moorpark’s Davis Benson was first in the long jump Saturday at 22-11.75 (he won the Division 3 section crown with a leap of 23-5 last week), followed by Dane Malloy (22-10.5) and Harel (22-9.25). Paloma Valley senior Arthur Stringer won the triple jump in 47-4.5.
Long Beach Poly’s Lynnox Newton won the 110 high hurdles in 13.69, Etiwanda’s Brandon Andrade (13.85) was second and Benson (13.94) third. Andrade (37.01) was second behind Palm Desert’s Kingston Penny (36.86) in the 300 hurdles.
Verdugo Hills, the fourth-place finisher in the Valley Mission League with a 10-18 record entering the City Section Division I playoffs, completed a remarkable turnaround on Saturday, winning its fourth consecutive playoff game to take home the Division I title with a 3-1 victory over Taft at Dodger Stadium.
No one was picking the Dons in this one. They had used their two best pitchers in a 10-inning semifinal win over top-seeded Sylmar. But coach Angel Espindola had a plan.
“I’ve got tricks up my sleeve,” he said.
Anthony Velasquez threw a complete-game one-hitter while relying on his defense to make the routine plays and deal with six walks and only one strikeout. At the plate, the hero was first baseman Cutlor Fannon. He had an RBI double in the first inning and an RBI single in the seventh.
But there was drama in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Toreadors’ Victor Jara represented the tying run at the plate with two outs. He hit probably the hardest ball of the day to deep left field.
Moises Rodriguez of Verdugo Hills caught the final out in left for 3-1 win at Dodger Stadium to win Di City title. pic.twitter.com/2UNU6Xrxs1
“The last one scared me,” Velasquez said as he watched left fielder Moises Rodriguez stick out his glove running to catch it and start a victory celebration.
Rodriguez said he “felt all my emotions running through me” as he chased down the fly ball.
“It was surreal,” he said.
Verdugo Hills pitcher Anthony Velasquez threw a complete game in 3-1 win over Taft at Dodger Stadium.
(Craig Weston / For The Times)
Espindola’s best coaching moment came in the bottom of the sixth inning. Taft drew consecutive walks from Velasquez with one out. Espindola went to the mound for a pitcher conference.
“Relax,” is what he told Velasquez.
Then Taft hit into an inning-ending double play.
Verdugo Hills’ fielders more than handled the Dodger Stadium environment. Catcher Miguel Wong threw out a runner trying to steal second. Outfielders Rodriguez, Jack Iafrate and Jessie Olmos combined to catch seven fly balls. And third baseman D’Angelo Duran and shortstop Ethan Sanchez were flawless on ground balls.
As for what happened in the playoffs, Rodriguez said, “We changed our perspective to playing baseball instead of doing baseball. It was let’s have fun.”
HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL CITY SECTION PLAYOFFS THURSDAY’S RESULTS Quarterfinals
OPEN DIVISION #4 San Pedro 13, #5 El Camino Real 2 #3 Birmingham 6, #6 Wilmington Banning 5 #2 Carson at #7 Legacy
FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE (Games at 3 p.m. unless noted) Quarterfinals
OPEN DIVISION #8 Granada Hills Kennedy at #1 Granada Hills
DIVISION I #9 San Fernando at #1 Venice #5 Chavez at #4 Chatsworth #6 Eagle Rock at #3 Port of LA #10 Verdugo Hills at #2 Marquez
DIVISION II #9 Northridge Academy at #1 LA Marshall #20 Cleveland at #5 Sylmar #19 North Hollywood at #6 Arleta #18 Taft at #10 Sun Valley Poly
DIVISION III #16 Van Nuys at #9 Palisades #5 South East at #4 Maywood Academy #14 VAAS at #11 Westchester #15 Reseda at #7 LACES
DIVISION IV #16 Vaughn at #9 Smidt Tech #12 Downtown Magnets at #4 Huntington Park #14 Franklin at #11 Bernstein #18 Diego Rivera at #7 CALS Early College
Note: Semifinals all divisions May 27 at higher seeds; Finals all divisions May 29-30 at TBD.
First-year baseball coach Dino Flores of Fremont High teaches health, and for the entire semester, he had a freshman from Venezuela, Roiber Colmenares, sitting in class.
One day, Colmenares asked Flores a strange question.
“Hey Mr. Flores,” he said in Spanish. “Do you know how I can join the baseball team?”
“Yes I do,” Flores said.
Colemenares told him playing baseball was all he did in Venezuela.
Then Flores had Colemenares show him how to field a ground ball with an imaginary ball in class.
“That’s when I knew we had something special,” Flores said. “Just his movement you could tell he’s a baseball player.”
With Colmenares leading the way, Fremont has advanced to face Hamilton in Friday’s 2:30 p.m. Division III final at Stengel Field. The Division II final will have South East playing Roosevelt at 5:30 p.m. at East Los Angeles College.
“He’s our best hitter and best pitcher,” Flores said of the 5-foot-8, 140-pound freshman.
Fremont used to be a baseball power, having won five upper-division City titles, the last in 1963. There also was a 3A title in 1992.
“The history is well documented,” Flores said.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
DIVISION 1 La Habra 11, Orange Lutheran 8 Etiwanda at La Mirada, Thursday JSerra 1, Garden Grove Pacifica 0 Norco 8, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 0
DIVISION 2 Whittier Christian 13, Bonita 1 St. Paul 8, Lakewood St. Joseph 7 San Clemente 9, Huntington Beach 7 Mater Dei 11, Vista Murrieta 8
DIVISION 3 Great Oak 10, Edison 5 North Torrance 4, San Juan Hills 3 Riverside Prep 7, La Serna 2 Dos Pueblos 7, Villa Park 6
DIVISION 4 Oxnard 5, St. Bonaventure 4 Monrovia 4, Mira Costa 0 Mission Viejo 14, Oak Hills 6 Burbank Burroughs 7, Ramona 2
DIVISION 5 Patriot 10, Santa Clara 3 Grace 6, Shadow Hills 5 Covina 8, Irvine University 1 Northwood 5, Santa Monica 4
DIVISION 6 Irvine 18, Heritage 7 Granite Hills 15, St. Genevieve 4 Sierra Vista at Hesperia Christian, Thursday Arroyo 8, San Jacinto 3
DIVISION 7 Ramona Convent 10, Santa Ana Calvary Chapel 7 Faith Baptist 10, Riverside Notre Dame 8 Cathedral City 2, Victor Valley 0 Edgewood 8, Culver City 6
DIVISION 8 San Bernardino 13, Avalon 0 Workman 19, Cobalt 6 Capistrano Valley Christian 13, Bell Gardens 6 Arroyo Valley vs. Banning, Thursday
Note: Semifinals May 23; Finals May 28-30 at Bill Barber Memorial Park, Irvine.
