Warrior Academy 16U softball advances to final four in Alliance Fastpitch Championship Series

“Yeah, it’s a very big deal,” Warriors coach Mickey McDonald said. “For our organization, it’s just a great tournament to go and make a good run and play against the highest level of competition in front of the highest level of college coaches.”

Among the final four teams are Team North Carolina Bowman, the Oklahoma Athletics, and Impact Gold-Texas. Next up, the Warriors need just one win in Saturday’s semifinal round against the Oklahoma Athletics to advance to the championship series, while the A’s need win twice to advance.

“They’re pretty good,” McDonald said.

That the A’s are, and they have the arms to make a run at the title — with two NCAA Division I committed pitchers in Keegan Baker (University of Oklahoma commit) and Kelsie Yales (University of Tennessee commit).

The best-of-three championship series opens Saturday night, with Game 2 and a tentative Game 3 slated for Sunday.

The Warriors have been riding the right arm of pitcher Lila McLeod, a 5-9 incoming junior at San Ramon Valley-Danville. McLeod pitched both games Friday, totaling 13 innings of work.

“She’s been kind of a workhorse this week,” McDonald said. “She’s been just really good going against really good lineups.”

Many of the Warriors’ players are based in San Mateo County, including leadoff hitter Star Gutierrez (Capuchino). But the regional outreach increased after the 2021 Alliance Fastpitch national crown by virtue of the team’s two star players, Megan Grant and Olivia DiNardo. Grant achieved rock star status this season at UCLA. The Bruins advanced to the Women’s College World Series, while Grant tied for third in the nation in home runs with 26 home runs, while setting the Big Ten Conference single-season record in the category.

“I would give a lot of credit to Megan and Olivia to where they’re kind of trailblazers,” said McDonald, who added every 10-year-old kid dreams of going on to play at UCLA. “I think they kind of set the table for everybody behind them.”

Gutierrez set the tone for the Warriors in Friday’s finale against NC Bowman, going 3 for 4 with two runs scored. As a freshman at Cap in the spring, she slashed .438/.529/.838 while leading the team with six home runs.

“This summer she’s been our best hitter for our team,” McDonald said. “She’s a very high-energy kid. She leads the kids in the dugout. ... We go as Star goes.”

While the Warriors classify as a 16U team, more than half the roster is younger. In fact, a majority of them are expected to roster with the 14U team next week at the PGF National Championships in Huntington Beach. Only five of the current 15 players on the 16U roster for the Alliance Fastpitch Championship Series are 16U-only eligible.

“For Star, she’s actually been doing it for two years now,” McDonald said. “We play our girls up. So, since Star has been 12, she’s been playing against 15-, 16-, 17-year-olds, so she’s been doing it.”

Skylar Loo (Notre Dame-Belmont) added a three-hit game Friday against NC Bowman, going 3 for 4 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored. An incoming senior at NDB, Loo has played exclusively third base this year. She is a regular catcher but moved to the hot corner at NDB after undergoing Tommy John surgery in the offseason.

“Third base has been really a good home for her, and she plays a really good third base,” McDonald said. “She’s a good catcher too ... but it’s more just trying to be injury preventive.”

While the Warriors walked off NC Bowman, the quarterfinal showdown was by no means a blowout. The Warriors jumped ahead 2-0 in the third, then added two runs in the fifth. After NC Bowman scored twice in the top of the sixth, the Warriors answered with a four-run rally to invoke the six-runs-after-six-innings mercy rule.

Gutierrez set the table in the bottom of the sixth with a leadoff single. Left-handed power hitter Gia Ryan (San Ramon Valley) followed with a booming home run to right field.

“Bomb,” McDonald said. “Just pull side, a majestic fly ball over the right fielder’s head. Just way gone.”

AJ Tatum (El Cerrito) followed with a single, and Loo knocked her in with a double to left. Loo advanced to third base on a fly ball off the bat of Arielle Henriquez (Carondelet-Concord), and scored on a passed ball to end it.

The start time for Friday’s doubleheader nightcap was pushed back due to tornado sirens. Saturday’s weather forecasts scattered thunderstorms in the area from 2-6 p.m.