PHOTOS: El Toro can’t hold off Warren late, Chargers’ season ends in CIF semifinals

Senior shortstop Camryn Bradshaw in the batter’s box for El Toro. Senior catcher Alyssa Bueno is behind the plate for Warren (PHOTOS: Adam Kunin, For OC Sports Zone).

El Toro High School’s softball team couldn’t hold on late against Warren at home on Saturday afternoon, as the Bears made a seventh-inning comeback to defeat the Chargers 8-7 in the semifinals of the CIF Division 4 playoffs.  

After falling behind 5-2, El Toro battled back to retake the lead in the sixth inning. However, Warren’s three-run seventh inning erased the Chargers’ two-run lead and propelled the Chargers to a road win.

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With the victory, Warren (20-12) punched its ticket to the CIF Division 4 title game, where it will play Long Beach Poly at Deanna Manning Stadium Friday at 3:15 p.m.

On the other hand, El Toro (14-13-1) had its CIF playoff run come to an end in the semifinal round.

Despite the loss, El Toro Coach Shannon Tinsley remained proud of her team’s perseverance throughout the season. 

The Chargers, who started the spring with a 3-7 record, needed to make a push in league play to secure a spot in the postseason. The young group slowly found a groove and carried momentum into the playoffs, where it earned three victories before falling in the semifinals. 

“We had a really slow start to the season in every way possible,” Tinsley said. “So to be playing our best softball in the biggest moment at the end of the year, I told them, I’m so proud of you guys.”

El Toro displayed its resilience on Saturday after it surrendered its 2-0 lead after a four-run frame from Warren. 

The inning, highlighted by a three-run home run to left field from senior first baseman Rachel Lopez, put the Bears up 5-2.

However, the Chargers quickly responded. In the bottom half of the inning, El Toro tacked on three runs courtesy of three-straight RBI hits from senior shortstop Camryn Bradshaw, junior third baseman Sadie Mitchell and junior first baseman Emerson Rollins. 

Then, the Chargers found some more offense in the fifth and sixth. A sacrifice fly from junior catcher Karissa Spieler gave El Toro the go-ahead run in the fifth, while Bradshaw launched a solo shot over the fence in left to give her team some insurance in the sixth.

Yet, the Bears didn’t back down. Doubles from senior left fielder Sophia Munguia and junior shortstop Lexi Cortez helped Warren score three in the seventh, which proved to be enough for the Bears on the road to pick up an 8-7 victory. 

The loss marked the line for El Toro’s two seniors in Bradshaw and left fielder Madison Huff.

Bradshaw, who won El Toro female athlete of the year, played a crucial role in turning the program into a perennial postseason team. 

“Camryn Bradshaw is the gold standard … Her numbers are impressive, but it’s her intangibles that make her really special,” Tinsley said.

Bradshaw remains optimistic that under Tinsley, the program can continue to grow. 

“Before I came here, they (El Toro) hadn’t made the postseason in a really long time,” Bradshaw said. “I remember stepping on the field freshman year, and coach Shannon had a different message for the team, and I was thankful I got that all four years.

“We do things that people don’t see …  That’s the reason we keep getting so far, and I’m really excited to see how this program continues to grow.”

The young team, with five freshmen and two sophomores, looks forward to gearing back up for another run at the postseason next spring. Nonetheless, Tinsley hopes the Chargers can learn from this season, as she believes getting their underclassmen to get integrated quickly will remain vital to the squad’s success next year.

“When those freshmen bought in, that’s really when we turned the corner,” Tinsley said. “I think it’s just [about] getting the new kids next year to buy in early.”