GOLETA, Calif. — After 11 long innings of playoff softball, Santa Monica punched its card for the CIF-Southern Section Division 4 final in dramatic fashion on Tuesday.
Knotted at 2-2, Samohi's Jamie Hom hit a single in the top of the 11th inning giving the Vikings a chance to advance. Denise Reynoso came in as a pinch runner and promptly stole second and third base before coming home on a wild pitch to defeat Dos Pueblos, 3-0, in the division semifinal in Goleta, Calif.
Samohi starting pitcher Whitney Jones was able to hold off Dos Pueblos in the bottom of the inning to secure the victory. Jones, a sophomore, pitched all 11 innings.
Samohi advances to face Hemet in the final on Saturday at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine, Calif. The game begins at 12:30 p.m.
Tuesday's win was the second late-game victory for the Vikings this postseason. Samohi snuck by Hesperia, 3-2, in the bottom of the seventh inning in the first round earlier this month.
Saturday will be Samohi's first appearance in the final since 2010 when the Vikings won the first softball championship in school history.
daniela@www.smdp.com