Young Lady Dragons drop finale, seeded 9th in NCS, play at 8th-seeded Moreau Wednesday

Though Sonoma Valley High School’s young varsity softball girls dropped their Sonoma County League and regular-season finale last Thursday in Windsor, they still finished with a battling 12-11 record, which included playing in the tough SCL and winning the Ukiah Tournament title, and earned a spot in the postseason.

On Sunday, the Lady Dragons were seeded ninth for the North Coast Section Division 3 playoffs and will play eighth-seeded Moreau Catholic (13-8) in a first-round game at 5 p.m. tomorrow, Wednesday, May 25, at Larry Standley Field in Hayward.

The Sonoma versus Moreau winner will then get the privilege of facing top-seeded Alhambra (18-6) on either Friday, May 27, or Saturday, May 28, in Martinez.

Rounding out the NCS Division-3 field are second-seed Albany (19-3-1), third-seed Tamalpais (16-6) and fourth-seed Analy (18-6) with first-round byes; fifth-seed San Marin (15-6) hosting 12th-seed Hercules (6-9); sixth-seed Terra Linda (15-9) hosting 11th-seed Campolindo (11-9-1); and seventh-seed Bishop O’Dowd (15-8) hosting 10th-seed Ursuline (8-13).

The NCS semifinals are either Tuesday, May 31, or Wednesday, June 1, with the championship game set for either Friday, June 3, or Saturday, June 4.

Comprising the Sonoma varsity girls’ young roster – directed by head coach Dean Merrill and assistant coaches Marc Ray and Wally Reis – are senior Mia Stornetta; juniors Megan McNeilly, Anna Stewart and Lindsay Stewart; sophomores Kendall Ashe, Riley Ellis-Reis, Zoe Gaarder, Juliana Gutierrez, Tali Soroker and Ashley Vail; and freshmen Samantha Richards, Lindsey Rocha and Amber Rose.

In their 13-2 regular-season loss to SCL foe Windsor, the Lady Dragons were paced by Ellis-Reis’ two-for-four, and Gaarder’s and Rose’s single each.