The San Diego Union-Tribune Sports
ORANGE – Mater Dei Catholic High School’s softball team began the season with a motto: “Full Circle Repeat.”
In 2022, the seniors on this year’s team won a Division I CIF San Diego Section championship, topped by a Division 2 Southern California title.
Said sophomore star pitcher Arri Romero: “We knew from the jump what we wanted.”
On a sun-splashed late Saturday afternoon, with planes descending into John Wayne Airport, the Crusaders pulled off their goal, beating Orange El Modena 12-3 to win the Southern California Division 1 championship. One week earlier, the Crusaders won the San Diego Section Open Division title.
“It feels amazing,” said senior pitcher/utility player Analesse “Peanut” Garcia, who drove in four runs, including a bases-loaded, go-ahead three-run double in the fifth