Dos Pueblos softball held on for a 4-3 win over Viewpoint High in the opening round of the CIF-SS Division 4 playoffs on Thursday in Calabasas.
The Chargers will now stay on the road to take on Colton High on Saturday at 3:15 p.m.
Anastasia Brunner got Dos Pueblos started with a bang, homering on the third pitch of the game to take an early 1-0 advantage.
That score remained until the fourth inning, when Kaitlyn Ashby slugged a solo homer of her own to double the lead to 2-0.
Meanwhile, Ashby was dominant in the circle and held Viewpoint to just one hit through six innings.
In the top of the sixth, the Chargers extended their lead to 3-0 with a run-scoring knock by Brunner to score Aubrey Carreno. They added one more insurance run in the seventh when Brooklyn Hedricks scored on an error.
Those insurance runs proved valuable for Dos Pueblos, as Viewpoint rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh. However, Ashby capped off the win with a strikeout to secure the complete game.
“Today was a great day for our team leaders, Anastasia and Kaitlyn,” Dos Pueblos head coach Mike Gerken said. “Stasia’s home run was an absolute moon shot… I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a ball hit further in a game.
“Kaitlyn was dazzling with the change-up today. They did not hit a hard ball until the seventh. The defense behind her was amazing. Zella Cassidy made a diving catch to her right to rob them of a hit, and Aubrey was stellar at second today.
“Kacey Hurley called every pitch and was so in tune with Kaitlyn. It was great to see. I am very happy for the win and happy we get to practice tomorrow.”