POWERADE FAB 50 Rankings: Week 12
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By Mark Tennis and Doug Huff
Contributing: Paul Muyskens, Garland Cooper
While the order for this week's FAB 50 was finalized earlier on Tuesday, it was hard to ignore that the top three teams in the nation were all playing later in the evening and that all three could have lost.
Those results won't be reflected in the rankings until next week, but the big news was that No. 3 Alexander Central (Taylorsville, N.C.) lost 1-0 in its showdown with unbeaten No. 7 Porter Ridge (Indian Trail, N.C.) in the fourth round of the Class 4A state playoffs.
Auburn-bound Lexi Davis of Porter Ridge outdueled Georgia-bound Chelsea Wilkinson of Alexander Central, although Wilkinson had a perfect game going with 17 strikeouts until the seventh inning. Porter Ridge got two hits in that inning, including a two-out RBI single by Kayleigh Jones. Davis then set down Alexander Central in the bottom of the inning.
The top two teams in the FAB 50 -- No. 1 Norco (Calif.) and No. 2 Pacifica (Garden Grove, Calif.) -- both won in CIF Southern Section Division I playoff games. Norco topped Etiwanda (Calif.) 2-0 while Pacifica blanked No. 23 Royal (Simi Valley, Calif.) 2-0. The two could meet in the title game on either June 1 or June 2.
(After games of Monday, May 21)
| 2012 POWERADE FAB 50 Softball Rankings: Week 12 | |||
| RK (LW) | SCHOOL (CITY, STATE) | REC | COMMENT |
| 1 (1) | Norco Senior Norco, CA | 27-2 | The incredible competitiveness of the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs is perhaps best shown by the fact that Norco needed to hold on for a 3-2 win over Great Oak (Temecula, Calif.) in its first-round game. After beating Etiwanda on Tuesday, the Cougars will be in the quarterfinals on Friday. |
| 2 (2) | Pacifica Garden Grove, CA | 27-2 | The Mariners won their first-round game of the CIFSS Division I playoffs by blanking Rosary of Fullerton 7-0. Their second-round matchup against FAB 50 No. 23 Royal (Simi Valley, Calif.) had to occur so early because Royal lost a coin-flip involving two other teams from its league. Pacifica's 2-0 win on Tuesday puts them into the quarterfinals. |
| 3 (3) | Alexander Central Taylorsville, NC | 28-1 | The defending state champion Cougars, seeking their eighth state title, advanced past the third round of the Class 4A playoffs by ousting Hough (Cornelius, N.C.) 11-0 in five innings. Pitcher Chelsea Wilkinson helped her own cause with three RBIs, including a two-run double. The team will drop next week due to its loss to FAB 50 No. 7 Porter Ridge on Tuesday in the fourth round. |
| 4 (4) | Amador Valley Pleasanton, CA | 24-0 | Easy wins of 9-0 over Livermore (Calif.) and Foothill (Pleasanton, Calif.) capped a perfect regular season for the Dons. They'll now move into the CIF North Coast Section Division I playoffs. The last NCS team to be unbeaten entering the playoffs was Freedom (Oakley, Calif.) in 2006, which won the title, went 25-0 and was No. 1 in the nation. |
| 5 (5) | Red Mountain Mesa, AZ | 35-3 | Season complete. The Mountain Lions captured the Division I state championship on May 14 by defeating Basha (Glendale, Ariz.) 5-2. |
| 6 (7) | Plano East Sr. Plano, TX | 34-3 | Texas recruit Holly Kern allowed three hits over two games as Plano East moved on in the Class 5A state playoffs with a two-game sweep of Coronado (Lubbock, Texas). The Bobcats meet district rival Hebron (Carrollton, Texas) next in the regional finals. |
| 7 (10) | Porter Ridge Indian Trail, NC | 28-0 | The Pirates advanced past the third round of the Class 4A state playoffs with wins over Lake Norman (Mooresville, N.C.) 3-1 and Roberson (Asheville, N.C.) 3-0. If their win over No. 3 Alexander Central on Tuesday is followed up by a state title and unbeaten record, the Pirates will have a strong argument to be No. 1 in the final rankings. |
| 8 (9) | Lutheran Orange, CA | 26-4 | Jade Vecvanags hit a homer and picked up her 15th pitching win of the season when the Lancers beat Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.) 5-1 in their first CIFSS Division I playoff game. Orange Lutheran also won its second-round contest on Tuesday 3-2 over Valencia (Calif.). |
| 9 (11) | The Woodlands The Woodlands, TX | 28-4 | Freshman Abby Langkamp and senior Caitlin Bartsch combined to pitch the shutout as the Highlanders topped Temple (Texas) 7-0 in the Class 5A regional semifinals. The defending state champs, who also were No. 1 in the FAB 50 last season, will try to punch their ticket to this year's state tourney by winning in the regional final against FAB 50 No. 39 Klein Collins (Spring, Texas). |
| 10 (6) | Beech Senior Hendersonville, TN | 48-2 | A loss to Mt. Juliet (Tenn.) in the Region 5-AAA final drops the Buccaneers four spots in this week's rankings. They had beaten Mt. Juliet four times earlier in the season and then qualified for this week's state tournament by beating Ravenwood (Brentwood, Tenn.) 8-2 in a rain-shortened contest. |
| 11 (12) | Archbishop Mitty San Jose, CA | 26-2 | Cal-bound Vanessa Alvarez earned her 12th shutout of the season with a no-hitter in Mitty's 10-0 win in the CIF Central Coast Section Division II playoffs against Presentation (San Jose, Calif.). The Monarchs hope to be celebrating another CCS title this weekend. |
| 12 (13) | Pearland Pearland, TX | 37-5 | Freshman Samantha Show continued to shine by pitching a three-hitter with 12 strikeouts and hitting a home run in Pearland's 7-0 win over Bellaire (Texas) that clinched a Class 5A playoff series. The Lady Oilers, who won the first game of the series 2-1, advance to play FAB 50 No. 50 Deer Park (Texas) in this week's regional finals. |
| 13 (14) | Chino Hills Chino Hills, CA | 28-3 | The Huskies are big favorites in the CIFSS Division IV playoffs. They won their 22nd straight game by toppling Nordhoff (Ojai, Calif.) 4-1 in their first-round opener. Nikki Innamorato pitched well and whiffed seven. |
| 14 (16) | O'Connor Helotes, TX | 30-2 | Junior standout Kenedy Urbany tossed a no-hitter in O'Connor's 15-0 romp past Edinburg (Texas) in the first game of a best-of-three series in the Class 5A state playoffs. It was 3-0 in the second game. O'Connor plays Holmes (San Antonio) in this week's regional finals. |
| 15 (15) | Canyon Del Oro Tucson, AZ | 33-5 | Season complete. With an 11-9 win over FAB 50-ranked Sunrise Mountain (Peoria, Ariz.) in the Division II state finals on May 14, the Dorados made a huge jump in the rankings. |
| 16 (17) | Chamberlain Tampa, FL | 27-5 | Season complete. Winning when it mattered the most, the Chiefs defeated Bartow (Fla.) 9-8 in the Class 7A state finals two weekends ago. |
| 17 (21) | El Diamante Visalia, CA | 30-1 | Kyla Cisneros doubled and had two RBIs while Sierra Hyland struck out six in another strong pitching outing as the Miners advanced in the CIF Central Section playoffs with a 5-0 triumph over Clovis (Calif.). |
| 18 (18) | Sunrise Mountain Peoria, AZ | 35-5 | Season complete. Despite rallying late to tie the game, the Mustangs suffered an 11-9 loss to No. 15 Canyon del Oro (Tucson, Ariz.) on May 14 in the Division II state championship game. |
| 19 (19) | Keystone Lagrange, OH | 28-0 | The Wildcats captured their 12th straight Division II district title, and 26th overall, with a 4-0 blanking of Firelands (Oberlin, Ohio). Bee Shaw and Bri Buckley both homered to help Kenzie Conrad (21-0) win with a three-hit, 11-strikeout effort. |
| 20 (20) | Poland Seminary Poland, OH | 24-2 | The defending Division II state champion Bulldogs captured a district tournament title with an 8-1 finals win over Canfield (Canfield, Ohio). Erin Gabriel, coming off two tournament wins without allowing a hit, struck out 15 and yielded two hits. It was Poland's fourth straight district title. |
| 21 (23) | Northern Owings, MD | 23-0 | The Washington, D.C. area's top-ranked team won two games last week to wrap up the Class 3A regional title and began this week two wins away from its fifth straight state title. Northern ousted Huntingtown (Md..) 1-0 in the regional final as Lindsey Schmeiser belted a fifth-inning homer. |
| 22 (22) | Soddy-Daisy Soddy Daisy, TN | 42-4 | Cassidy Hackney went 3 for 3 with a double and Hannah Smith homered as the Trojans beat Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) 8-1 to win a regional title. They play in the Class 3A state tournament this week in Murfreesboro. |
| 23 (25) | Royal Simi Valley, CA | 25-2 | While the Highlanders had their season end Tuesday of this week in a 2-0 loss to FAB 50 No. 2 Pacifica (Garden Grove, Calif.), they started the CIFSS Division I playoffs with a 6-0 shutout of Redlands (Calif.). Arizona-bound Nancy Bowling tossed a three-hitter and struck out nine. |
| 24 (24) | Basha Chandler, AZ | 33-6 | Season complete. The Bears' hopes of a Division I state championship came up short as they lost 5-2 on May 14 to Red Mountain (Mesa, Ariz.). |
| 25 (26) | Woodinville Woodinville, WA | 22-0 | A 16-2 romp past Bothell (Wash.) ended a perfect regular season for the Falcons. They open the Class 4A state tourney facing South Kitsap (Port Orchard, Wash.). |
| 26 (28) | Durant Plant City, FL | 24-4 | Season complete. The Cougars finished as Florida's Class 8A state champion with an 8-2 win against Palmetto (Miami) in the state final. |
| 27 (44) | Sparkman Harvest, AL | 64-7-1 | Tourney MVP Janna Korak, known mostly for her pitching, ripped a game-winning sacrifice fly in the seventh inning to give the Lady Senators a 5-4 win over Vestavia Hills (Ala.) in the title-deciding game of the Class 6A state playoffs. Sparkman returned to the top of the state for the third time in the last seven years. |
| 28 (27) | James B. Conant Hoffman Estates, IL | 30-3 | Splitting a doubleheader with 28-5 New Trier (Winnetka, Ill.) didn't hurt the Cougars much in the rankings. They are still No. 1 in the Chicago area and have set a school record for wins. |
| 29 (29) | Ironwood Ridge Tucson, AZ | 32-6 | Season complete. The Nighthawks lost in the Division II playoffs to Canyon del Oro (Tucson, Ariz.), a team they beat twice earlier in the season. |
| 30 (30) | Esperanza Anaheim, CA | 24-6 | Home runs by Nicole Schroeder and Brynley Steele helped the Aztecs defeat Yorba Linda 6-3 in their opening game of the CIFSS Division I playoffs. They also won on Tuesday of this week 4-3 against Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.). |
| 31 (31) | James Logan Union City, CA | 21-1 | Alexis Martinez ripped a three-run double to lead the Colts past Irvington (Fremont, Calif.) 9-1 in their final game of the regular season. They are the No. 2 seed in the CIF North Coast Section Division I playoffs and have lost only to top-seed and FAB 50-ranked Amador Valley (Pleasanton, Calif.). |
| 32 (32) | Baylor School Chattanooga, TN | 36-5 | In the Red Raiders' two-game sweep of Harpeth Hall (Nashville) in last week's region playoffs, Haley Andrus went 5 for 6 to lead the offense. They are playing in the Division II-AA state tournament this week and are the favorites. |
| 33 (35) | Glenbard North Carol Stream, IL | 31-2 | The Panthers capped their regular season with a 3-1 win over Naperville North (Naperville, Ill.). They have outscored opponents 222-30 while batting .315. |
| 34 (33) | Pembroke Pines Charter School Pembroke Pines, FL | 22-4 | Season complete. ESPNHS Regional Player of the Week Cristina Sacramento allowed just one hit and struck out 18 as the Jaguars defeated Niceville (Fla.) 1-0 two weekends ago in the Class 6A state finals. |
| 35 (34) | Niceville Senior Niceville, FL | 29-3 | Season complete. The Eagles fell out of the top 10 after they lost 1-0 to Pembroke Pines in the Class 6A state title tilt. |
| 36 (36) | Palm Beach Gardens Palm Beach Garden, FL | 26-3 | Season complete. The Gators' season came to an end earlier than expected as they lost in the Class 8A regional semifinals to Jupiter. They were No. 1 in the FAB 50 at the time. |
| 37 (37) | John Curtis Christian River Ridge, LA | 31-0 | Season complete. The Patriots won their Class 2A state title last month. |
| 38 (38) | Los Alamitos Los Alamitos, CA | 23-6 | All four runs for the Griffins in their 4-1 win over Upland (Calif.) in the CIFSS Division I playoffs came from two-run homers by Alex Finie and Mattie Scheele. They have already lost in a second-round game this week to Vista Murrieta (Murrieta, Calif.), which won't be counted in the rankings until next week. |
| 39 (50) | Collins Spring, TX | 31-4 | The Tigers earned their chance to take a crack at defending champion The Woodlands in this weekend's Class 5A regional finals by beating Bryan (Texas) in a best-of-three series. Klein Collins prevailed 3-1 in the first game and made a third game unnecessary by winning again 7-4. |
| 40 (39) | Alvin Alvin, TX | 32-4 | Season complete. This team was pushing for the top five earlier in the season, but had the season end after a 2-1 upset loss in eight innings to Deer Park (Texas) in the Class 5A regional quarterfinals. |
| 41 (40) | Eau Gallie Melbourne, FL | 27-3 | Season complete. The Commodores lost in the Class 6A state semifinals to the state runners-up from Niceville. |
| 42 (42) | Bonita Vista Chula Vista, CA | 23-3-1 | The top seed in the CIF San Diego Section Division II playoffs opened the postseason by beating Point Loma (San Diego) 10-0 and San Marcos 3-1. |
| 43 (46) | Hillcrest Simpsonville, SC | 31-3 | After losing the first game of its Class AAAA state title series against Carolina Forest (Myrtle Beach, S.C.), Hillcrest won twice to become the champion. The 6-0 clincher featured Courtney Roberts with a two-hitter and eight strikeouts plus Sylver Samuel with three hits, two runs and one RBI. |
| 44 (41) | Ladywood Livonia, MI | 27-3 | The Blazers repeated as the Detroit Catholic League A-B Tournament champions with a 1-0 decision over rival Mercy (Farmington, Mich.). Senior pitcher Briana Combs fanned nine in the shutout win. |
| 45 (45) | Bartow Senior Bartow, FL | 27-5 | Season complete. The Yellow Jackets came up short in the Class 7A state finals two weekends ago as they lost 7-6 to a Chamberlain (Tampa, Fla.) squad that they defeated earlier in the season. |
| 46 (NR) | Bishop Denis J. O'Connell Arlington, VA | 27-1 | Perennial power from the Washington, D.C. area has lost only to unbeaten FAB 50 No. 21 Northern (Owings, Md.) and began this week with 16 straight shutout wins. |
| 47 (NR) | Center Grove Greenwood, IN | 26-1 | After unbeaten Riley (South Bend, Ind.) suffered its first loss, the Trojans move up to No. 1 in Indiana. They began this week with a 16-game win streak. |
| 48 (NR) | Olathe East Olathe, KS | 21-1 | In the Class 6A state playoff pairings, the Hawks have the best record and have replaced the other Kansas team, Maize, in this week's rankings. |
| 49 (NR) | Walla Walla Walla Walla, WA | 22-1 | The Blue Devils won their Class 4A regional title with a 9-2 win against Richland (Wash.). With ace Alyson Ambler going strong, Walla Walla has a good shot to repeat at this year's Class 4A state championships, which will be taking place this week. |
| 50 (NR) | Deer Park Deer Park, TX | 27-8 | The Deer followed up their upset win over Alvin (Texas) in the regional quarterfinals with a 2-1 win over previous FAB 50 No. 8 Katy in the semifinals. Kristen Davenport completed a strong effort in the circle with a 1-2-3 seventh inning to close out the Tigers. |
| On the bubble: American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) 27-5 Ballard (Louisville, Ky.) 31-4-1 Benet (Lisle, Ill.) 31-4 Brazoswood (Clute, Texas) 19-7 Daniel Boone (Gray, Tenn.) 44-4 Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.) 24-4 Elyria (Ohio) 24-2 Ennis (Texas) 34-4-2 Goodpasture (Madison, Tenn.) 22-5 Greenwood (Bowling Green, Ky.) 32-4 Gulliver Prep (Pinecrest, Fla.) 27-5 Hebron (Carrollton, Texas) 28-10 Immaculate Heart (Washington, N.J.) 25-0 John Marshall (Glen Dale, W.Va.) 32-3 Lake Central (St. John, Ind.) 24-2 Livingston (N.J.) 24-0 Madison Central (Madison, Miss.) 29-3 Mission Viejo (Calif.) 24-5 Plano (Texas) 29-6 Richards (Oak Lawn, Ill.) 28-4 Smithson Valley (Spring Branch, Texas) 26-5 Tomball (Texas) 25-4 West Ranch (Valencia, Calif.) 22-4-1 | |||
| Dropped out: Previous No. 8 Katy (Texas); No. 43 Vestavia Hills (Ala.); No. 47 Lake Norman (Mooresville, N.C.); No. 48 Maize (Kan.); No. 49 Riley (South Bend, Ind.). | |||