Del Oro falls to Elk Grove in D2 softball final

The ending felt painfully familiar for No. 2 seed Del Oro on Saturday night at Sacramento State's Shea Stadium. For the second straight season, the Golden Eagles walked off the field after a 3-2 loss to No. 4 Elk Grove in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II final. If there's any consolation for Del Oro, it's that last year's heartbreak became the starting point for something bigger. After a one-run section title defeat in 2025, the Golden Eagles responded with a run to the CIF NorCal Division I championship, and coach Sean Erickson believes this year's group is capable of doing the same. "We're going on the road. It's gonna be a completely different tournament the rest of the way," Erickson said, noting the Golden Eagles are unbeaten at home this year. "Last year, we lost this game and stayed home because of our incredible ranking. This year, I think we'll go on the road but it gives us a different challenge, a different environment." Elk Grove (28-4) struck early as freshman Tamiyah Ward ripped an RBI double off the center-field wall. The hot start continued into the second inning when sophomore Brooklun Landrum launched a two-run home run to push the lead to 3-0. Del Oro finally answered in the fourth inning, cutting the deficit to 3-2 on an RBI double by junior Avyn Brower and an RBI single by senior Avery Enyart. The Golden Eagles threatened throughout the afternoon, finishing with six hits, but couldn't find the tying run over the final three innings. Erickson said he knew the lineup would eventually find a way to produce runs, noting the Golden Eagles leaned on their experience to help regain some of their momentum lost early in the game. "One's a junior, one's a senior. They have two of the great personalities on the team," Erickson said of Brower and Enyart. "Avery was this year's coach's choice of the year winner, and it's just because of that motor, that enthusiasm, that thing that doesn't turn off for her. She's always solid, she's always ready to go, and even through adversity, she always finds a way to shake it off, move forward and create success, and she was right in the middle of it today." Sophomore Caelyn Campos led Del Oro at the plate with two hits. Kate Brown reached base twice with a hit and a walk. Elk Grove freshman pitcher Madelyn Benzler scattered six hits and struck out eight. "I want to give the credit to Elk Grove. I thought their pitcher was very good today. I thought their defense was sharp. They outhit us," said Erickson. "I think that's a well-played game by them." After allowing three runs in the opening two innings, Del Oro junior Mikayla Finn finished with five consecutive scoreless innings, allowing six hits and striking out four. "Mikayla is the heart and soul of this team. When she had pneumonia two weeks ago, we pitched our freshmen. They did wonderful jobs and they won their games, but this team goes as (Finn) goes," Erickson said. "When she got hit a little bit early in the game, she refocused. We talked about a couple other pitches we wanted to incorporate. She did that, and she made every one of those other pitches work for her. And I think the next five zeros kept us in the game as a measure of the importance of what she is for our team, and she is the heart and soul. She is the one that they cheer for." Del Oro (20-8) will now turn its attention to the CIF NorCal Regional Tournament and defending its Division I championship. Brackets are scheduled to be released May 31. With one week off, Erickson said it gives the Golden Eagles time to regroup and reset after a tough loss. "Last year, we lost this game, and I could hardly speak to the reporters after the game," Erickson said. "I was just so confident in our ability last year to get it done, and we didn't. As I walked away from here, I felt like we needed to play immediately. And in hindsight now, that decompression period with a win was beneficial to us. I feel like this decompression period coming through this loss might be a tiny bit more beneficial. Today, we did hit the ground a little bit, so it's time to get back on the horse. So I think we'll work towards scrimmages this week, maybe have some competitive practices, see if we create some fun."