Rocklin downs Elk Grove, advances to D-II championship

Rocklin High School senior Sydney Barker put Rocklin on top in the first inning of Tuesday’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division II softball semifinals, sending a three-run blast over the center-field fence. That wouldn’t be the only offense of the day for the seventh-seeded Thunder, but it was enough to give them a lead they wouldn’t relinquish in a 6-4 victory over No. 3 Elk Grove. “Sydney is our senior leader and she has been in this position many times,” Rocklin coach Jim Albin said. “With Sydney being that leader and seeing that outside pitch and driving it over the fence, you can breathe a little easier knowing that you have a nice lead, but we knew that Elk Grove wasn’t done.” The Thundering Herd cut the deficit to one in the second inning, but Rocklin pushed the lead back to three in the top of the third with a sacrifice fly by Payton Prior and an RBI single by Cate Gladden. Marley Hogue drove a run home with an RBI double in the fourth. Rocklin tallied 13 hits and didn’t strike out. Albin said Rocklin’s hot bats and the young players being unfazed by the pressure of the postseason have been the key factors on its run to the championship game. “I think that's strictly because of the tough nonleague and SFL schedule that we've played,” Albin said. “We're putting the ball in play. We're not striking out and our confidence is going up and the at-bats have gotten better as the season’s gone along.” Prior earned her third win of the postseason in the circle, following her 16-strikeout performance against No. 2 Bella Vista with another strong performance. Prior pitched a complete game and struck out three. “Payton is pitching up there just as good as anybody in the league right now,” Albin said, noting how much the freshman has grown in her first season. “I think the maturity of knowing what's working and what's not and being able to make adjustments as the game goes along has been the biggest growth. She's always been a kid that can hit spots, but being able to be mentally ready to make those adjustments and knowing that not everything's going to work has just been great to see.” The Thunder (14-15) will face No. 1 Tracy (24-3-1) for the D-II championship Saturday at 1 p.m. at Sacramento State. Although both teams have qualified for the CIF NorCal Regional by making the championship, Albin said he isn’t looking any further ahead than Saturday. “Our message going into the playoffs was one more game. Our goal was just to play one more game. Don't look ahead at the opponent you have in front of you. There's a reason they're in the playoffs just like us,” Albin said. “We are focused on one game at a time, but our main goal was one more game to get to the championship. Once you get to the championship, anything can happen.”