Lady Tigers lock up second straight SCL softball crown

Analy top seed in league playoffs this week
The Lady Tigers are repeat champions of the Sonoma County League softball world, thanks in large part to a great showing in the final stretch of the regular season.
Analy (11-1, 14-9-1) closed it out last week with convincing wins over Healdsburg (11-1) and Sonoma Valley (4-1) to end any chance of a co-championship. That was a distinct possibility in the league finale at Sonoma Valley, with the Dragons and Petaluma Trojans hoping to share the pennant if Analy faltered.
With the SCL title secured, the Tigers will quickly turn their attention to the SCL playoff tournament, which begins at home on May 16 (after press time) against fourth seeded Piner. The winner will square off against the victor of the Petaluma-Sonoma Valley game on Thursday, May 18 at Analy High School.  All games start at 4 p.m.
The Tigers are also a good bet to land a decent seed in the North Coast Section Division 3 playoffs next week.
Ladies on a roll 
There was little suspense in the Tigers’ May 9 clash with visiting Healdsburg, pushing across 10 runs in the opening frame.  Senior pitcher Emily Dreyer (5 IP, 2 hits, ER, 8 Ks) did the rest en route to an 11-1 win in five innings. Pacing the bat attack were Gianna Bianchi (2 for 2, 2B, 3B, 2 runs, 2 RBIs), Peyton Bratton (2 for 3, run, 3 RBIs), Makayla Kraemer (2 for 3, 2B, 2 runs, 2 RBIs), Gema Gonzalez (2 for 3, run) and Dreyer (1 for 2, 2B).      
The Tigers sent sophomore Carson Rasmussen to the hill in the critical May 11 visit to Sonoma Valley, responding with a sparkling 2-hit, 3-strikeout performance. Analy never trailed, plating solo runs in the second and fifth innings before pushing across two in the sixth in an eventual 4-1 victory.  Leading hitters included Claire Nelson (2 for 3, run), Dreyer (2 for 3, run) and Bratton (2 for 3, 2B, run, RBI).
Lions close out season 
It was a tale of two distinctly different games for El Molino in the final week of the season, beginning with a 24-0 loss at Sonoma Valley on May 9. Not a problem, as the Lions (3-9, 6-17) bounced back in the home league finale against winless Elsie Allen on May 11, handing the Lobos a 26-3 shellacking. El Mo pushed across six runs in the first three frames and added eight more for good measure in the fourth to force an early stoppage after five full innings.
Jessica Van Rillaer notched the win, while top hitters were Victoria Briano (2 for 3, 3B, 2 runs), Kristine Daniels (2 for 5, 2 runs, 2 RBIs), Risa Scott-Smith (1 for 2, run, RBI), Erika Olson (1 for 3, 2 runs, 2 RBIs), Gabby Bushgen (1 for 5, 2 runs, 2 RBIs), Mel Deleon (1 for 3, 2 runs) and Jamie Noar (1 for 5, run, 3 RBIs).