San Diego U-T Preps

POWAY — Don’t bring up last season’s San Diego Section Division II softball championship game to this year’s Bonita Vista High squad. To the Barons, the past is the past.

After losing to No. 10-seeded West Hills in heavy-upset fashion a year ago, Bonita Vista feels it has a second chance — an opportunity to be the team celebrating.

“We mentioned it here (in the postgame huddle) that we need to finish this time,” Barons coach John Carlson said. “They’re motivated.”

Sophomore second baseman Carolyn Wright provided the offense, knocking in three runs on two doubles, while senior pitcher Jennifer Hartman kept Rancho Bernardo off-balance in the circle, giving up four hits and three walks while retiring the last 11 batters she faced in a complete-game effort as Bonita Vista defeated the Broncos 5-1 in Thursday’s fourth round of the Division II playoffs at Sportsplex USA. The teams will meet again for the title Saturday after RB battled back with an elimination win over San Marcos.

“The kid (Hartman) is just tough as nails,” Carlson said. “She was hitting the spots I called for the most part, going in and out, in and out.”

Bonita Vista jumped on the scoreboard first, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first, keyed by a two-strike, two-run double by Wright.

The Broncos cut the deficit to 3-1 in the top of the third but never pulled closer.

In the fifth inning, the Barons scored two more, one on another double by Wright.

“I was looking for the right pitch to swing at and it happened to come,” Wright said.

After last season’s championship game setback, just being back in the finals is not good enough for Bonita Vista. The Barons finally have their chance to replace that lingering disappointment.

“Our ultimate goal is to win it all,” Hartman said. “Last year is in the past and we have to think of it as a whole new year and hopefully we pull through.”