North Salinas-Salinas softball

Central Coast Section Division I Quarterfinals
Saturday's game
No. 5 Salinas (16-8) vs. No. 13 North Salinas (17-7) at Salinas Sports Complex, 12:30 p.m.
 Two former long time league rivals, who flipped divisions this spring, find themselves playing for a spot in the Division I semifinals.
 Playing each other in the postseason has not occurred since 2009, when North Salinas posted a 6-2 win in the CCS Division I quarterfinals.
 The two did meet for a CCS Division I title in 1998, with Salinas prevailing 4-1.
 Salinas, who struggled down the stretch with a 1-4 finish, needed extra innings and a walk-off single from Karen Pina to secure a 9-8 win over Branham.
 While the Vikings didn't win in walk-off fashion, a homer from Sofia Gombos in the seventh scored the games only run in a 1-0 win at Oak Grove.
 The two teams did meet in non-league play this year, with Salinas producing a 6-2 win on April 3 at the site of Saturday's quarterfinal matchup.
 Coming on the heels of a 19 strikeout effort in her last outing, Gombos was outstanding in the circle for North Salinas in shutting out higher seeded Oak Grove.
 Gombos will face a dynamic Cowboys lineup that includes Kayla Stone, who hit her eighth homer of the season on Wednesday. Olivia Robledo and  Nevaeh Pinon continue to swing hot bats.