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La Canada pitcher Lauren Cox struck out 20 batters and tossed a one-hit, 7-0, shutout against Mary Star of the Sea in the quarterfinals of the CIF-Southern Section Division 5 softball playoffs on Thursday.

La Canada coach KC Mathews said he was not sure if Cox’s 20-strikeout performance was a school record, but he can’t imagine a pitcher striking out 21 batters in a seven-inning game.

“It’s her personal best,” Mathews said. “I don’t think we’ve ever come close to 20 strikeouts.”

Cox walked three and hit one batter.

Selina Mohr went 3-for-4 and reached on an error. She scored three runs for La Canada. Katy Lee had two hits, walked twice and scored two runs. She drove in a run on a squeeze bunt.

Catherine Horner was 2-for-5 with a double and scored a run.

Jessica Ogden drove in two runs with a double in the first inning.

La Canada will play Nipomo in the semifinals at La Canada High on Tuesday.

Senior pitcher Wyatt Wood tossed his first complete game of the season Tuesday afternoon to help Glendora upset fourth-seeded Cypress, 5-2, in the second round of the CIF-Southern Section Division 2 baseball playoffs.

Wood, who has dealt with control issues in his first true year as a pitcher, gave up a two-run homer in the first inning but was spectacular the rest of the way. He responded with a two-run blast of his own in the bottom half of the inning.

"What he did was special," Glendora head coach Dan Henley said.

Glendora (18-9), which finished in a tie for first place in the Baseline League, will face Trabuco Hills on Friday. Cypress (25-7) became the latest team to fall in an upset -- top-seeded Harvard-Westlake also stumbled, losing 3-1 to Placentia Valencia.

"We knew we'd have to play all facets of the game to be competitive," Henley said. "We're a young team and I'd hate to use the term 'rebuilding' but this was a game our kids were looking forward to. ... [Wood] picked a great time to shine."

SAN FERNANDO – Armando Gomez decided to gamble a bit in the first round of the City Section Division I baseball playoffs against Granada Hills.

The coach of the San Fernando baseball team, the reigning City Section champion, went with his No. 2 starter, Kevin Martinez, opting to save his ace, Alonzo Garcia, for the second round.

The gamble paid off as Martinez pitched a six-hit shutout and San Fernando eliminated Granada Hills, 3-0, at San Fernando High School on Tuesday.

“He’s quieted the critics now,” Gomez said. “I don’t want to get to Thursday and not have our No. 1. Kevin’s been great in big games. It didn’t bug him at all.”

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LA VERNE -- The pitcher with the funky delivery picked the right time to snap out of his funk.

Mission Viejo right-hander Anthony Shew had been knocked around in recent weeks, failing to fool opponents with his uncommon throwing motion. The senior seemed to recapture his deceptiveness in a complete-game effort Tuesday afternoon, leading the Diablos to a 9-1 victory over Damien in the second round of the CIF-Southern Section Division 2 baseball playoffs.

Defending section champion Mission Viejo advanced to the quarterfinals, where it will meet second-seeded Pacifica of Garden Grove on Friday.

Shew had been tagged for 35 hits over his last four starts but gave up just five -- all singles -- on Tuesday. The lone run Damien mustered came in the first inning. Shew struck out six and closed the door by retiring the last seven batters in order.

"It's great to see him bounce back," said senior first baseman Mitch Holland, whose three-run double in the fourth broke the game open. "He's one of my best friends and I know how hard it is on him when he doesn't pitch well."

Holland continued his torrid hitting. He had a pair of three-run home runs in a first-round win last week and, on Tuesday, extended his hot streak.

"He's a big, strong kid. He's been a three-year varsity player and a team leader," Mission Viejo head coach Chris Ashbach said. "He's the nicest kid in the world, so I couldn't be happier to see this happening for him right now."

Holland's bases-clearing rocket to dead center field knocked out Damien starting pitcher Grant Hockin, a highly regarded sophomore who has already verbally committed to play at UCLA. Hockin had beaten Mission Viejo, 3-0, in a tournament game at Chino last month.

"I've been hot lately and looking for the fastball early," Holland said. "He left the ball out over the plate after working me in and out really hard. I hit it hard and luckily it dropped."

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For those in Orange County looking for the best game on Tuesday in the second round of the playoffs—in baseball or softball—might we suggest filling the gas tank and heading to Simi Valley? Garden Grove Pacifica, ranked No. 2 in the nation by ESPN in softball, will play Simi Valley Royal, which is ranked No. 25.

Statewide, It's No. 2 vs. No. 8.

And, we remind you, this is a second-round game in the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.

The Mariners, who were ranked No. 1 in the nation before losing their Empire League finale to Cypress, got three home runs in a 7-0 victory over Fullerton Rosary in the first round. It was the first time this season that Rosary had been shut out, but the Royals were unable to score against the pitching combo of Kaley Winegarner and Kaylee Carlson.

But unlike Rosary, Royal counters with one of the Southland's outstanding pitchers, Nancy Bowling, who has committed to Arizona. Bowling (25-2) has 240 strikeouts in 156 innings, and her 0.36 earned-run average is lower than both Winegarner's and Carlson's.

Not that Bowling is going to have an easy time of it. In Pacifica, Bowling is facing a team that bats a collective .348 and has 30 home runs, led by Nicole DeWitt's eight.

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Cathedral quarterback Hayden Rettig, the 16th-ranked player in the state for next year's class, has committed to Louisiana State, he said via text message.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Rettig was spectacular to start last season before suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, which forced him to sit out the remainder of his junior season. He had passed for 508 yards and six touchdowns in Cathedral’s opener, and another 294 yards the following week.

Rettig, the younger brother of Boston College quarterback Chase Rettig, also holds scholarship offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Boston College, Purdue and Vanderbilt. He is scheduled to go on an unofficial visit to Baton Rouge this weekend.

Rettig is the nation's 12th-ranked quarterback, according to ESPN Recruiting.

1. Corona del Mar's hopes of winning a second consecutive Southern Section volleyball championship ended in four games as the second-seeded Sea Kings were dethroned by top-seeded Oak Park, 22-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-21, on Saturday in the Division 2 finals. More bad news came Sunday: CdM was not selected to play in the Southern California Regional playoffs, leaving Orange County in the rare position of not having a representative playing for a regional title.

2. James Kaprielian and Irvine Beckman were almost a casualty of the first round. Kaprielian is one of the Southland's outstanding pitchers, but the second-seeded Patriots needed a two-out, seventh-inning RBI single by Torin Goldstein—who drove in Jake Hazard—to provide a 1-0 victory over El Rancho. Kaprielian (10-2) pitched a two-hitter and struck out 12. In his last nine appearances—five of which were seven innings—Kaprielian has allowed three hits or fewer. In that span: 49 2/3 innings, 13 hits, 4 walks, 68 strikeouts.

3. So much for baseball rankings. The Sunset League laid the hurt on the Moore League as at-large Huntington Beach won at fourth-seeded Long Beach Poly in the opening round Friday, 2-1, as Shane Grace scattered five hits and Matt Urabe went three-for-three and drove in both runs. Another Sunset League school, Huntington Beach Marina, KO'd highly regarded (and seventh-seeded) Lakewood, 2-0, behind Austin Olivas' four-hitter. It was fairly indicative of Orange County's performance: in games that two O.C. teams weren't playing each other in the first round, the county went 5-2; the only setbacks were Marmonte League champ Agoura's home win over Brea Olinda, 6-1, and third-seeded Riverside North beating (another Sunset League team) Huntington Beach Edison, 11-2. In both cases, the O.C. teams had to win play-in games before going on the road.

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The Palisades boys volleyball team swept Granada Hills in three close games, 25-19, 26-24, 25-23, to win the City Section Division I championship at Venice High School on Saturday night.

Palisades won its first boys volleyball title since 2008 after reaching the championship match the past two years. The Dolphins lost to Woodland Hills Taft and Granada Hills in consecutive years. It was the 12th City Section championship for Palisades.

Connor Nasch had 10 kills to lead Palisades. Nick Wittbrodt recorded 37 assists and Matt Comisar had 15 digs.

Billy De La Espriella and Jino Labao each had 10 kills for Granada Hills.

Los Angeles Jordan swept Verdugo Hills in the City Section Division II championship match at Venice High School. Verdugo Hills had a 19-match winning streak snapped.

C.J. Suarez set the Verdugo Hills record for kills. He had 25 kills against Jordan and set the school mark with 748 kills over his career.

Jordan won the Division II championship for the second year in a row.

Northridge Academy won the small schools championship in four games over Elizabeth Learning Center. Justin Bates had 22 kills for Northridge Academy, which won its third title in the past six seasons.

Facing Rancho Cucamonga's athletic defense will be scary for many offensive coordinators this fall.

Senior-to-be Chris Hawkins, a cornerback who has already committed to USC, did not participate in Saturday's 12-team passing league tournament at Rancho Cucamonga due to track obligations, but the Cougars still had enough defensive talent to come out on top. The Cougars proved they're one of the Inland Empire's fastest teams, beating Chino Hills and standout receiver Jack Austin in a thrilling tournament final.

Rancho Cucamonga allowed under 17 points per game last season and finished 11-2, losing to powerhouse Corona Centennial in the playoffs.

"For the defense, my expectations are 10 times higher than they were last year," said safety Tahaan Goodman, a national-level recruit who has scholarship offers from the likes of Louisiana State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, as well as eight Pac-12 schools, including locals USC and UCLA.

And that statement alone could leave Baseline League offensive coordinators feeling woozy.

Mira Costa captured its seventh CIF-Southern Section boys' volleyball title Saturday night by upsetting top-seeded Loyola in the Division 1 final at Cypress College. The Mustangs won an exciting five-set match, 25-18, 25-22, 25-27, 21-25, 15-12.

Loyola (33-2) never faced a two-set deficit all year and nearly completed the comeback.

"We wanted to give them trouble," Mira Costa coach Mike Ninnis told Fox Sports Preps Zone Live. "Things worked out for us."

Third-seeded Mira Costa (32-4) had lost to Loyola twice during the regular season, but won the one that mattered. Loyola, which swept through every set in the playoffs, dodged two match points in the third set.

In the Division 2 final, Oak Park defeated Corona del Mar in four sets to win its first section title. South Torrance beat Warren in four sets to claim the Division 3 title, and Los Angeles Cathedral ousted defending champion Santa Monica in five sets to win Division 4. Chadwick swept Viewpoint in Division 5.

AGOURA HILLS -- Agoura’s Justin Cana was sick, both literally and figuratively, in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division I baseball playoffs against Brea Olinda.

After leading off the game with a triple and scoring on a wild pitch, Cana puked in the dugout. He collected two more hits, a double and another triple, drove in three runs and led Agoura to a 6-1 win over visiting Brea Olinda on Friday.

“Apparently he was sick all day today,” Agoura coach Mike Cordero said. “He was throwing up in the second inning. He comes in and hits a lead-off triple, goes and throws up, hits a double, then he came out with another triple. Pretty impressive I think.”

Agoura starter Jordan Shulman was equally ill on the mound, tossing a complete-game and scattering nine hits.

More importantly, Shulman provided the pitching staff with a prescription for success saving the Agoura arms for future playoff games.

“He has no idea how big this is,” Cordero said. “Everyone wants to get a complete game in CIF playoffs. That’s something he’ll remember, a complete game. We have our whole staff intact. We’re in pretty good shape.”

Agoura (24-4-1) blew open an otherwise tight game scoring four runs in the sixth inning. Cana capped the rally with a two-run triple. Drew Lutzke, who was 2-for-3, added a run-scoring single in the inning.

Agoura took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but Brea Olinda tied the score in the second inning. The score remained tied until the fifth inning when Cana knocked in his first run with a one-out double. Cordero said it was nice to see Cana swing the bat so well in the first game of the playoffs.

“I think the week-and-a-half off really did him some good,” Cordero said. “He’s rejuvenated and he finds a way to do it for us. He’s swinging the bat better than he has all year.”

Shulman, meanwhile, held Brea Olinda at bay. He wiggled out of trouble throughout the game. His defense turned two double plays, and nearly had a third on a lineout to shortstop in the third inning.

Shulman struck out three and didn’t walk a batter. But he only sent the Brea Olinda batters down in order once.

Jacob McFarland was 1-for-3 with a stolen base and scored the lone run for Brea Olinda (16-14-1). Kyle Kasser was 2-for-3, a pair of singles, and stole a base.

Agoura will play Corona, a surprise 4-2 winner over Camarillo, in the second round of the Division I playoffs on Tuesday.

Here are the results from the CIF Division I first round playoff games:

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Friday's first round was cruel to the Moore League baseball teams.

League champion Long Beach Poly, seeded fourth in the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 bracket, was upset at home by Huntington Beach, 2-1, despite left-hander Chris Castellanos' complete-game effort. The Jackrabbits loaded the bases in the last inning but Jeff Turley lined out to left field.

Second-place Lakewood, meanwhile, dropped a 2-0 decision to Marina. And Long Beach Wilson, behind top MLB Draft prospect Chase DeJong, fell at Newbury Park, 3-0.

They say the postseason is an entirely different monster. Poly, Lakewood and Wilson -- which combined for a 72-19 regular-season record -- now know the saying all too well.

Carson's Darian Tautalafua hit her 53rd career home run on Friday afternoon, tying the state record in the top-seeded Colts' 10-4 win against Chatsworth in the City Section softball playoffs.

Tautalafua, who has signed to play next year at Long Beach State, has 17 home runs this season. She tied the mark shared by Crenshaw's Alia Williams (2006-09) and La Crescenta Valley's Baillie Kirker (2006-09).

Tautalafua will have a chance to set a new record Tuesday when Carson meets Granada Hills in the semifinals.

The Alhambra Keppel baseball team has forfeited its wild-card round win over Hawthorne in the CIF-Southern Section Division 3 playoffs due to an ineligible player, the section office announced Friday. The player in question, according to the office, transferred from another school without filing proper paperwork. Hawthorne, which had dropped a 4-2 decision Tuesday, will play at Elsinore in Wildomar on Saturday afternoon.

Keppel, which according to the Pasadena Star-News reached the playoffs for the first time in nearly two decades, could potentially forfeit all of its wins, depending on the number of games the ineligible player appeared in.

"It’s always unfortunate and extremely difficult when a school has to forfeit any contest," commissioner of athletics Rob Wigod said. "It is made that much more so when it is a playoff game. However, CIF Southern Section rules are in place for a reason and part of being a member in this organization is adhering to those rules."

WEST COVINA -- An electric right arm. A compact swing. A keenness for high-stress situations.

Senior Ty France of South Hills put all of his skills on display Thursday afternoon, leading the Huskies to a 4-0 victory against visiting Upland in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Division 2 baseball playoffs. France, a San Diego State signee, struck out 11 in a complete-game effort and also drove in three runs.

By the way France looked, you'd never guess it was only his second start of the season.

"I didn't expect him to go seven innings and shut them out. It's just a great effort on his part," South Hills head coach Kevin Smith said. "He's a bulldog. I wish I had 15 of him."

France has been on varsity for four years, experiencing sudden success as a freshman on a South Hills squad that captured the section title. He's a known commodity in the San Gabriel Valley, a slick-fielding shortstop who doubles as his team's closer. Smith, though, wanted his best curveball thrower on the mound against an Upland lineup that scored 22 runs in the wild-card round earlier in the week.

"I love pitching," France said. "I love getting out there and controlling the game."

France did that and more, scattering six hits and walking only two, one of them intentional. He helped his own cause at the plate with a pair of two-out RBI singles, putting South Hills (18-7) up early. UCLA signee Daniel Robertson had half of Upland's hits in his final high school game.

"Getting those two early runs helped a lot," France said.

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