Murrieta Mesa softball team rallies past JSerra to win Dave Kops Tournament of Champions

Lilly Hauser did not hesitate.

Hauser broke on contact with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning and beat a throw home from first base as the Murrieta Mesa softball team rallied for a 2-1 victory over JSerra on Saturday and claimed the tile at the prestigious Dave Kops Tournament of Champions in Bullhead City, Ariz.

This is the sixth time an Inland team has prevailed at the Tournament of Champions. Norco previous won in 2009, 2012, 2017, 2019 and 2023.

Murrieta Mesa reached the Tournament of Champions final back in 2022 but dropped a 3-1 decision to Villa Park.

“This is big for our program,” Rams coach Antonio Romero said late Saturday night by phone. “This is an elite tournament with great competition. We’ve been coming here for a few years now and have come up a little short. Winning this one has definitely been a goal of mine.

“I’m proud of the girls. We have a really young team overall, and they got the job done. We grew so much as a team these past couple of days.”

Saturday’s championship between unbeatens was expected to be a pitchers’ duel, and Hauser and JSerra’s Liliana Escobar did not disappoint.

Hauser, a senior who is headed to Arizona, scattered four hits, allowed one unearned run and struck out 11 batters to pick up the win in the circle.

Escobar, a senior who has signed with Florida, took a shutout into the sixth inning and allowed one earned run on five hits while striking out seven.

JSerra (10-1) grabbed the lead in the top of the first inning. Ava Born drew a walk with one out and came around to score on an error with two outs. The Lions had a chance for a bigger inning, but Hauser struck out Angie Jimenez to leave the bases loaded.

Stranded runners was a theme for four innings. JSerra left seven on base (five in scoring position), while Mesa left six (three in scoring position).

Mesa (11-0) finally broke through in the sixth, with a helping hand from JSerra’s defense. Jaylene Guadagnolo reached second on a dropped fly ball with one out and moved to third on a groundout. Nyah Sanchez blooped a single into shallow left field to bring Guadagnolo home with the tying run.

The lights on the field went out precisely at 10 p.m. local time, right after Hauser delivered her first pitch of the seventh inning. Mesa players had fun during the 15-minute delay, even appearing to challenge JSerra to a dance-off at one point. When the lights came back on, Hauser recorded her first and only 1-2-3 inning of the evening, as she retired batters on a ground out to the circle, a fly ball to center field and a strikeout.

“Lilly knows what’s she capable of, and she can make big pitches when she needs them,” Romero said. “She has grown so much over the past four years. She doesn’t let those little things get to her anymore. If something doesn’t go her way, she just gets (ticked) off and sees it as a challenge.”

Mesa had the top of the lineup due in the bottom of the seventh. Escobar got Tatum Wolff to hit back to the circle for the first out, but Hauser ripped a single up the middle. Two pitches later, Macy Clark smacked a single inside the first-base bag and into right field, and Hauser sprinted to third.

Freshman Finlee Angle faced a 1-2 count and hit a grounder to first, but Hauser slid head first into home to beat the throw from Magenta De Arte.

Romero used a courtesy runner in previous seasons when Hauser was pitching, but Romero now is allowing Hauser to run for herself.

“She’s a freak athlete. A real five-tool player,” Romero said. “I knew we had a chance to get a run home with her speed on the bases.”

Mesa advanced to the championship game with wins over Aliso Niguel (7-0), Chino Hills (3-2), Agoura (6-1) and Garden Grove Pacifica (7-2). The Rams return to action Thursday afternoon at home for their Southwestern League opener against Murrieta Valley.