SAN MATEO – With Hillsdale teammate Mia DeMartini 60 standing 60 feet to her left at third base and zeroes showing on the scoreboard, Taylor O’Mahony planted herself in the right-handed batter’s box in the bottom of the seventh inning with one goal in mind.
Get the hit that would win the Knights their first regional softball title on Saturday afternoon.
After fouling a Cardinal Newman pitch and taking a ball that led to a throw down to third base necessitated a lengthy discussion between officials – one that they eventually determined did not qualify for batter’s interference – O’Mahony got the pitch she was looking for.
She slapped the ball right back to CN ace Callie Howard, the high-speed green sphere glancing off her glove and allowing DeMartini to score the only run of Hillsdale’s 1-0 NorCal Division III championship victory.
O’Mahony did not see the winning run score in HIllsdale’s second consecutive walk-off victory.
“I was like, ‘I need to bust my butt to get to first base safe, I need to be safe,’” O’Mahony said with joyous tears streaming down her face.
Hillsdale left fielder Taylor O'Mahony (11) hits a ball back through the box that scored the winning run against Cardinal Newman during the seventh inning of the NorCal Division III high school softball championship game, Saturday, June 7, 2025 in San Mateo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron for the Bay Area News Group)But she knew the result once she touched first base and turned around to see DeMartini flying into her field of vision, ready to celebrate a hard-earned championship.
“A lot of teams at Hillsdale have come really close, but we’re the first to actually win,” O’Mahony said. “So this is special, and I’m really happy we get to all share this moment.”
Hillsdale capped off a season that saw the program win 21 games and capture its first Central Coast Section title since 1991.
DeMartini’s leadoff double and O’Mahony’s clutch single were the only two hits the Knights could muster in the title showdown, with Howard striking out eight and allowing just two walks in the first six innings.
It took a while for coach Eryn McCoy’s Knights to adjust to what they were seeing.
“We kind of had to grind it out and see where it was going to go, because you never know what the strike zone is going to look like each day,” McCoy said.
Fortunately for the San Mateo school, sophomore ace Lola Jones threw the game of her life.
After going eight innings in the NorCal victory against Liberty-Madera, Jones tossed a three-hit, seven-strikeout, zero-walk gem against CN, with 52 of her 68 pitches going for strikes on a windy day in San Mateo.
“I was locked in the whole game,” Jones said. “I was trusting my teammates behind me. … I trusted everyone that went up to bat, and I knew we were gonna break through in the end.”
Hillsdale starting pitcher Lola Jones (17) delivers against Cardinal Newman during the second inning of the NorCal Division III high school softball championship game, Saturday, June 7, 2025 in San Mateo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron for the Bay Area News Group)How good was Jones on a day when she did not allow a single Cardinal Newman baserunner to reach scoring position?
“Nails,” McCoy said. “She’s always good, but she put a little extra on it today. She wanted the championship, and she came out ready to go. Every pitch was on fire.”
After Jones got a Cardinal Newman batter to whiff with a runner on first to end the top of the seventh inning, Hillsdale looked like it would play a second consecutive extra-inning game.
But after DeMartini laced a double to center, and then moved to third after Jones laid down a perfect bunt, Hillsdale had an opportunity it had been looking for all day.
With the title on the line, O’Mahony delivered.
“I was hyped up, because we have a runner on third and less than two outs, and Taylor is one of our best hitters,” Hillsdale senior Lexi Kuka said. “She’s a baller.”
McCoy said that none of the team’s six seniors plan on playing softball collegiately.
So for Kuka, a three-year varsity player who plans on studying anthropology at San Diego State in the fall, hoisting the NorCal trophy was the perfect way to end her softball career.
“I couldn’t ask for a better ending,” Kuka said. “So many people end their careers on a loss, and to be one of the lucky few who are able to end it with a win, it just feels great.”
Hillsdale players celebrate their 1-0 victory over Cardinal Newman in a NorCal Division III high school softball championship game, Saturday, June 7, 2025 in San Mateo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron for the Bay Area News Group) Hillsdale starting pitcher Lola Jones (17) commiserates with her teammates during the seventh inning of the NorCal Division III high school softball championship game against Cardinal Newman, Saturday, June 7, 2025 in San Mateo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron for the Bay Area News Group) Hillsdale’s Mia DeMartini (13) and Taylor O'Mahony (11) celebrate their 1-0 victory over Cardinal Newman during the seventh inning of the NorCal Division III high school softball championship game, Saturday, June 7, 2025 in San Mateo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron for the Bay Area News Group) Hillsdale starting pitcher Lola Jones (17) drops a sacrifice bunt against Cardinal Newman during the seventh inning of the NorCal Division III high school softball championship game, Saturday, June 7, 2025 in San Mateo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron for the Bay Area News Group) Cardinal Newman starting pitcher Callie Howard (10) and her teammates receive their runner-up trophy following a 1-0 loss to Hillsdale in the NorCal Division III high school softball championship game, Saturday, June 7, 2025 in San Mateo, Calif. (D. Ross Cameron for the Bay Area News Group) Read More Details
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