Softball: Titans on quest for another crown

Unlike the first time Poway was a defending San Diego Section softball champion, the Titans are looking forward to the postseason.

Poway won the Division I title in 2002 behind a magical pitching performance by senior Mandy Brown.

The next season revealed 12 new players and a new coach as Jim Bennet replaced Jeff Lusk.

“We had no target on our back because almost all of us were new,’’ said Bennet, now in his 14th season as the head coach with Lusk as one of his assistants.

This year, however, 10 of the 15 players for Poway are back in search of another championship after capturing last year’s Open Division behind another magical performance by senior pitcher Kourtney Shaw.

The pitching has been handled by the entire staff instead of just one hurler.

“Kourtney was absolutely amazing last year,’’ senior shortstop Malia Martinez said. “This year, our pitchers understood what they had to do for us to win.

“With solid defense and hitting like we’ve had the last few games, we have a shot because our pitching has been pretty good.’’

While even solid hitting comes and goes, the defense should remain steady. It has for Poway, which committed just five errors in 10 Palomar League games this year.

Poway, now 18-9 overall, opens this playoff run Wednesday at home as the No. 4 seed against No. 5 Bonita Vista in the Open Division.

One of the driving forces for the Titans is that the playoffs don’t require intensifying their efforts because they play at that same level from the first game of the regular season until the season ends in the playoffs.

“I tell the girls all the time that people want to beat them because they have Poway on their shorts,’’ Bennet said. “We still own the title and if someone wants it, they’ll have to take it from us.

“We aren’t going to give it up that easy, not like last time when we had little chance for back-to-back titles.’’

This year’s edition of the Titans finished third in the Palomar League behind Torrey Pines and rival Rancho Bernardo.

“If you win one title, you want a second one,’’ said Martinez, who will play next year at Arizona. “We would love to win as many titles as possible.

“What drove us last year was to win for the seniors. They got their title.

“Bennet tells the underclassmen all the time they should want to win a title for the older girls above them.’’

Rancho Bernardo

The last time Rancho Bernardo won a softball crown was the Division II title in 2013.

This year, in Division I, the Broncos (17-7-2) open the playoffs Thursday as the No. 4 seed against the No. 12 Otay Ranch-No. 5 West Hills winner, but they may be a year away from a real serious playoff run.

The roster is dotted with so many freshmen (six) and sophomores (two).

Pitcher Konner Dahlberg, a junior who missed last year with a pair of injuries, is capable of carrying the team during the playoffs both at the plate as the cleanup hitter and in the circle.

Del Norte

The Nighthawks (18-11-1), who wound up third in the Avocado East League this year, are still in search of their first CIF title. They opened the Division II playoffs at home on Tuesday as the No. 8 seed against No. 9 Olympian.

Senior Haley Cruse is the biggest offensive weapon along with junior Shea Lane.

Cruse batted .485 with two home runs and 12 RBIs during the regular season while Lane hit .341 with a team-leading 19 RBIs.