The Santa Maria Lady Saints 8U All-Stars softball team has qualified for the California State Games that will take place in San Diego in July.
The Lady Saints went 5-0 at the Morro Bay Coastal Summer Slam and won the 8U Division tournament championship. The Santa Maria squad won an age division title at the Paso Robles Swing into Summer Tournament then went 2-2 at a state games qualifying tournament at Lakeview Junior High School last weekend to advance to the state games.
Santa Maria defeated the Coalinga Fire 15-0 in the qualifier for the state games. The win helped give the Lady Saints the plus 13 score they needed to advance.
Avery Perez and Madeline Wagner combined for a no-hitter against Coalinga. Perez pitched two innings. Wagner pitched the last one. Perez struck out six batters and walked two, and Wagner struck out two batters and walked one.
Wagner, Avery Perez and Adrienne Espinoza drove in three runs apiece for the Lady Saints.
An Ivy Perez walk-off base hit gave Santa Maria a 5-3 win over the 5 Cities Eagles in the Morro Bay Coast Summer Slam title game at Monarch Elementary School in Los Osos. Ivy Perez, the No. 7 hitter in the Santa Maria lineup, had three hits and drove in three runs.
The Santa Maria defense was error-free in the tournament. Jayleen Estrada made seven put-outs for the Lady Saints.
Avery Perez pitched a complete game for the Lady Saints. Santa Maria stole 10 bases in the Morro Bay Coast Summer Slam championship game and 10 more against Coalinga in the qualifier.
Estrada, Abigail Figueroa, Camila Nevarez and Mickey Villa all stole multiple bases in the Coalinga game.
Santa Maria players include Figueroa, Nevarez, Estrada, Villa, Espinoza, Wagner, Avery Perez, Ivy Perez, Ilda Medina, Genesis Pantoja, Alyvia Esparza, Victoria Maldonado and Milexie Espinoza. The coaches are George Villa, Justin Estrada, Cassandra Estrada and Sal Figueroa.