Santa Catalina-Carmel softball

 It will be a family reunion of sorts today when Carmel hosts the Cougars in a battle of 6-0 teams in the Mission Trail Athletic League.
 First year Carmel coach Jim Pingree spent nearly a decade as the Cougars head coach, guiding them to a Central Coast Section Division III title when his daughter was the pitcher five years ago.
 Today, Pingree will find his daughter Alex opposing him in the other dugout as the recent UC Santa Barbara graduate took the reigns at Santa Catalina this spring.
 While the defending champion Padres rise to the top isn't a surprise, Santa Catalina's share of first in the Mission Trail Athletic League is.
 Graduation stripped them of two players currently playing Division I softball and a four-year starting hurler.
 Yet, since losing two of their first three non-league games, the Cougars have rattled off eight straight wins, including their first six in the MTAL.
 Freshmen Abby Gunter has tore up pitching for Santa Catalina with six homers and 25 runs batted in through the teams first 12 games, while giving them quality innings in the circle.
 Another freshmen making a huge impact for the Cougars has been Jessica Clements, who leads the team in hits and multiple hit games.
 As youthful as Santa Catalina's roster is, the Padres are equally young, relying on sophomore hurler Jessica Pavloff and freshman Jaclyn Hyles on the mound.
 The pair have combined to shutdown league opponents, limiting them to two runs, while Carmel's bats have piled up 87 runs.
 Senior Ashlyn Davis has carried a hot bat, leading Carmel with a team high 22 runs batted in while Anna Buzan leads the team in hits.
 Dating back to last year, the Padres are 16-1 in the MTAL, with that one setback coming for Santa Catalina.