The calendar just flipped to May, meaning playoffs are around the corner and teams want to be playing their best.
Exhibit A of a squad pulling that off came Tuesday afternoon, when Granite Hills High School's softball team beat rival Steele Canyon 8-5. The Eagles have rattled off three straight wins and taken control of the Grossmont Hills league race. Granite improved to 11-8 and 6-1. Steele Canyon fell to 14-6-1 and 5-2.
“Seems like we’ve never been hot in May,” said junior center fielder Audrey Smale. “Now, it feels like we can’t be stopped.”
Smale, senior slugger Sofia Mujica and freshman Mia Downes sparked Tuesday's win over the Cougars. A fleet center fielder, Smale went 4-for-4 with four singles, scored two runs and knocked in three. A UCLA-bound catcher, Mujica led off the bottom of the first with a towering home run and finished 2-for-3, scoring four runs.
Downes blasted a bases-clearing double in the sixth. The insurance runs were a necessity when Steele Canyon rallied with three runs in the seventh.
Smale grew up playing Little League baseball before turning to softball. The last time she went 4-for-4?
“I honestly don’t remember,” she said with a 100-watt smile. “I don’t think I’ve ever gone 4-for-4.”
She paused for a moment, then said, “I’ve never had four hits (in a game). Defense is my specialty.”
Ever since she hit .512 with 17 home runs and 30 RBIs as a freshman, Mujica has been the Eagles’ high-profile star. Tuesday’s home run was the 56th of her career, leaving her four short of the state record set by Tannon Snow of Chino Hills High School in 2015.
After the game, Mujica had no clue how many homers she had or even what the state record was.
Asked how many career home runs she thought she’d smacked, Mujica said, “In the 50s?”
Told she was four short of the record, she turned to Smale with a dropped jaw and I-can’t-believe-it expression.
“I’m definitely excited,” said Mujica. “It’s a big milestone, not just for me but for our program.”
The Eagles have at least seven games remaining in the season.
After her 17-home-run season as a freshman, Mujica hit 15 as a sophomore and junior. Tuesday’s homer was her ninth as a senior.
“She comes out here and focuses on hitting the ball hard, not necessarily hitting home runs,” said coach Katie Salisbury.
Salisbury is 3-1 as the Eagles’ coach since taking over for Sarah McGrath, who said she was fired. As for McGrath being let go, athletic director James Davis said, “I can’t talk about that.”
The players, though, are adamant that Salisbury, who was an assistant coach before being elevated, has played a significant role in the team’s hot run.
“It’s definitely been a positive change,” said Smale. “We all agree on that.”
Smale and Mujica played on the 2022 team that won the Division 2 section title. The Eagles are now in Division 1, and want more bling.
“A ring and a banner,” said Smale. “That’s what we want.”
Norcross is a freelance writer.
This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune .
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