Del Oro blanks Northgate to open NorCal Regional

CIF NorCal Regional Division I champion Del Oro sent a message to the rest of the Division II field Tuesday. The Golden Eagles rode a dominant outing from pitcher Mikayla Finn and a breakout offensive performance from freshman Grace Johnson to a 10-0 victory in five innings over Walnut Creek-Northgate to open the Division II Regional. Johnson drove in three runs, including a two-run home run, while Finn silenced the Broncos' lineup as Del Oro (21-8) advanced to the semifinals. The Golden Eagles steadily built their lead before Avyn Brower ended the contest with a two-run walk-off homer, keeping Del Oro's bid for a second consecutive NorCal title alive. Johnson entered the regional opener with just two hits during the regular season but continued her recent postseason surge by going 3 for 3. She opened the scoring with an RBI single in the second inning before launching a two-run homer in the fourth to help Del Oro pull away. "Honestly, I was a little bit nervous, but I saw that coach Sean (Erickson) put me in the lineup today, and I wanted to do a job for him," Johnson said. Erickson inserted Johnson into the lineup after watching her earn the opportunity throughout the season. "She has done everything I've asked her to do, and she has put herself in a position to be recognized by her coaches," Erickson said. "I got a sneaking suspicion GJ was going to do great today." The Golden Eagles backed Johnson's effort with another dominant performance in the circle. Finn struck out eight batters over four scoreless innings, allowing three hits before freshman Kat Popovski struck out the side in the fifth to complete the combined shutout. "Honestly, we were just very proud of her coming out so strong," junior Avyn Brower said of Finn's performance. "We told her that she's got this." Del Oro took the lead with a run in the second inning and never looked back. The Golden Eagles added three runs in the third and four in the fourth. Avery Enyart drove in three runs, Emma Johnson finished 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI, and Chloe Champas had three hits as Del Oro totaled 13 hits. The game ended with Brower crushing a two-run homer in the fifth to invoke the run rule. The Golden Eagles find themselves in familiar territory. For the second straight season, Del Oro entered the NorCal Regional playoffs following a loss in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship. After a week to regroup, reconnect and refocus, the Golden Eagles looked rejuvenated Tuesday as they began their quest to win a second consecutive NorCal title. "It definitely helped us," Brower said. "We had some team bonding over that week, and we all got together and were like, 'We're going to finish this. We have to defend our regional championship.' " Erickson believes the sting of the section championship defeat has motivated the Golden Eagles to go on another NorCal run. "Through section failure has promoted our program to be a regional finalist. Through section failure, we seem to rise up beyond that ash and that thing that feels like you lost the biggest thing," said Erickson. "I truly think we believed we would leave Sacramento State with that hat and that banner. I think because of that sheer letdown and that displeasure of the result drives them." Del Oro was set to face No. 3 San Jose-Willow Glen (23-7) on Thursday in a semifinal.