Southern California high school softball championships

HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL

Southern Section championship games

Saturday, at Barber Park, Irvine

Division 7: Lake Isabella Kern Valley (23-4) vs. San Pedro Rolling Hills Prep (20-1), 10 a.m. — Second-seeded Rolling Hills Prep has advanced to its first championship appearance after knocking off last season’s champion, Rosamond, in a semifinal behind the pitching of Amber Garland (17-1). Kern Valley, ranked sixth in the final coaches’ poll, has advanced to the title game behind the arm of Kayla Evans (14-4).

Division 4: North Torrance (23-10) vs. Santa Monica (26-5), 12:30 p.m. — Santa Monica, which won its first Southern Section girls’ basketball championship earlier this year, now makes its first softball title game appearance. The second-seeded Vikings are led by New Mexico State-bound Celisha Walker, who pitched a shutout in a semifinal. North Torrance is going for its third consecutive championship after Celina Thornton hit a run-scoring single in the bottom of the ninth in the Saxons’ semifinal.

Division 2: Upland (20-9-1) vs. Temecula Valley (18-12), 3:30 p.m. — Shelby Yung’s two-out, run-scoring single in the sixth inning and Washington-bound pitcher Whitney Jones lifted unseeded Upland to victory in its semifinal. Temecula Valley, also unseeded, is riding the momentum of having knocked off top-seeded Etiwanda in the first round of the playoffs.

Division 1: Santa Margarita (17-13) vs. Corona (22-10-1), 6 p.m. — This game pits two unseeded teams that were also unranked in the final coaches’ poll. Santa Margarita, led by ace pitcher Amy Letourneau, upset top-seeded Valencia in a semifinal to make its first championship appearance. Corona is playing in its first title game since 2004 and is led by pitching sensation Loie Kesterson, who’s thrown three shutouts in the playoffs.