Champs at last: Central Catholic wins D-IV championship in fifth straight title game appearance
Four years, four runners-up plaques.
That was the fate of the Central Catholic softball team in Sac-Joaquin Section championship games. The Raiders made finals in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 and finished as the runner-up each time.
But senior catcher Madie Harrison said she knew this year’s team would be the one to get over the hump.
The team lost a lot of its offensive production when a group of seniors from last year’s team went onto NCAA Division I college programs.
The Raiders inserted freshmen into the lineup and asked some returners to play out of position, adjusting and retooling as the season went on. Then, they hit their stride.
They closed out the regular season by claiming an undefeated Valley Oak League title and the No. 2 seed in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV bracket. In the playoffs, they scored at least 10 runs in each of their first three games.
“It feels so amazing,” said Harrison, who played in her fourth straight title game Saturday. “Our drive and the fact that this has been the most trying season that I’ve had since I’ve been here. With everything we’ve gone through, we pushed through together. I knew our girls weren’t going down without a fight.”
Then they found themselves in their fifth straight section title game at Cosumnes River College, a place where the Raiders had no recent success.
Saturday afternoon, they met No. 5 Will C. Wood High School of Vacaville with another chance at a blue banner.
So it was only right that in a game with newcomers to the lineup and players playing in different positions, returners came up big.
Senior Carsyn Lomeli-Garcia drove in four runs, junior Ceriah Fitzhugh added two RBI, and senior Amaya Gustavis turned in a 3-for-3 performance with an RBI to lead Central Catholic to an 8-3 win and the elusive blue section championship banner.
“I’m just so happy for the girls and especially our seniors,” head coach Sam Nichols said. “They came up big today. They’ve been here every year of high school and to finally win it for them, I’m happy for them.”
Nichols said he was waiting for a game where the Raiders put everything together.
He wanted their offense, pitching and fielding to all click at the same time. Saturday, it did.
Freshman Sophia Santillan earned the start and pitched six innings, allowing three runs and striking out three batters. She gave up just four hits thanks to an array of diving plays on the infield and routine catches in the outfield. Junior Stephanie Garcia pitched the last inning, allowing a hit and striking out a batter.
The Raiders did not allow a run until the sixth inning, when the Wildcats scored three times.
Timely hitting once again allowed Central Catholic to break the game open.
Brea Hart was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the second inning, and a few batters later, Gustavis singled her home. In the bottom of the third, Hart drove in Adisyn Quadros, who entered the game to run for Harrison after a single. 2-0 Raiders.
They broke it open in the fourth inning. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for Lomeli-Garcia who sent a towering fly ball over the center field fence for a grand slam to make it 6-0 Raiders.
With one swing of the bat, not only did she break the game open, she produced a single-game career high in RBI and her first home run this season.
“On deck, I was like no matter what, put it in play. I have to do this for my team,” Lomeli-Garcia said. “I fouled off two balls, so I knew I was just missing it. So I just told myself to get on time and I did it. There was one out, so if I hit it to the outfield, it would have scored a run. My thought process was to just hit it to the outfield no matter where it goes.”
Hart, Paige Perry and Gustavis each reached with singles, loading the bases once again. With two outs, Fitzhugh lined a ground ball to left field for a single that drove in Perry and Hart.
“We’ve worked so hard, put in countless hours,” Lomeli-Garcia said. “I’m so happy to see us finally pulling through this year, getting a win, and everyone was a part of it. Everyone put work in and contributed to this win.”
The last time Central Catholic advanced to the CIF State Northern California regional playoffs, they won it all. In 2023, they lost in the Division III section championship but rebounded to win three straight NorCal regional playoff games and a NorCal title.
In Divisions IV through VII, only the Sac-Joaquin Section champion advances to the regional playoffs, so Saturday’s victory guarantees the Raiders at least one more game.
They find out their opponent Sunday, May 31.
For Lomeli-Garcia, it will be a new experience, but Harrison started at catcher as a freshman on that team.
“We get to play some more,” Nichols said. “This is a group that loves playing with each other, and they’re great teammates.”
This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 7:06 PM.
