Carmel-Catalina softball

Father-daughter rivalry aside, a championship is at stake for both the Padres and Santa Catalina today in their Mission Trail Athletic League finale.
 Carmel, who has already clinched a share of its second straight title, nearly let a seven-run lead slip away in the teams first meeting, salvaging an 8-7 win over the Cougars.
 Since then it has outscored five MTAL opponents 93-2. In fact, the seven runs the Padres allowed is more than they've given up in 12 other MTAL games (4).
 A win for the Cougars (12-1) would give them a share of the title. Last year Carmel ended their run of supremacy in the MTAL at five.
 But the last MTAL team to beat the Padres was Santa Catalina, nearly a year to the day on the same Cougars field the teams will play on today.
 Carmel's pitching has been sensational behind sophomore Jessica Pavloff and freshman Jaclyn Hyles while senior Ashlyn Davis has knocked in 35 runs.
 The Cougars offense starts with freshmen Abby Gunter, who has hit 10 home runs and driven in 41 runs, the second highest single season totals in school history behind Cal catcher Annie Aldrete.
 This might not be the last time these teams face each other. Both will be seeded into the Division III playoffs. And with Notre Dame expected to go to the Open, Division III is wide open.