Losing at home in the opening round of the 2024 3C2A NorCal Regionals, with the state championships slated for Viking Field, was a bitter bill for West Valley to swallow. The 2025 Vikings were, indeed, a team on a mission through two dominant NorCal playoff rounds and will play in the 3C2A Softball State Championship tournament at West Valley May 15-18. In an authoritative double-run-rule 9-1 and 13-2 sweep of Fresno City last weekend at Viking Field, West Valley blasted 23 hits, gave up just seven, and played error-free defense through both contests.

In Friday's game one, an eight-run second inning had the high-powered Viking offense firing on all cylinders. Top-seeded WVC (41-3) sent 12 batters to the plate in the inning and, scoring seven runs and, at one point, ripping seven hits along with a Tyla Arbuckle walk. Andrea DeJesus clubbed a three-run double, Alexis Bojorquez-Nava, DeJesus and Brianna Chambers Lee had RBI-doubles, and Makayla Villapando and Jasmine Mixco roped run-scoring singles. Chambers Lee knocked in Arbuckle with a single in fourth to close out the WVC scoring.

The game ended on an unconvential WVC 8-2-5-4 double play that cleared the bases and sent everyone home two innings early. After FCC's Amara Klein walked and Addison Lee singled, Jayden Herrera knocked in the Rams' only run with a single to Arbuckle in center. Arbuckle, the WVC All-American, threw a perfect strike to Villapando at home, who threw out Lee at third. Rylee Gomez then rifled a shot to DeJesus at second to get Herrera.

The Ram hits were their first since a Sayler Steiner single in the first. In between, Viking pitcher Ashlie Nakano was in complete control. She set the No. 8 Rams (30-15) down in order in the second and fourth and allowed just a single base runner in the first and third. Nakano improved to 13-0 in the circle with the win. Bojorquez-Nava, Chambers Lee and Mixco all had two-hit afternoons.

West Valley was the deignated visitor in Saturday's game two, and they took advantage by jumping out on top 3-0. Gomez and Chambers Lee got on with two-out singles and came home on Mixco's triple down the first base line. Raylene Cruz singled in Mixco on the next at-bat. Fresno City took advantage of a trio of walks, a single and a double to put single runs on the board in the first and second. But, a seven-run West Valley second negated anything the Rams were doing.

The WVC scorebook looked like this in the second: a Villapando double to the fence at left, a walk to Gabriella Diotalevi, an Arbuckle E5, a two-run DeJesus double to right, an RBI single from Gomez, a runner's interference out, a Mixco walk, a Cruz walk, and a three-run Bojorquez-Nava triple to left-center. A pair of outfield fly-outs sent it to the third with WVC on top 10-2.

Arbuckle singled to open the third, stole second, her state-leading 47th, and scampered home on a Gomez SAC fly. But, the best from Arbuckle was yet to come.

With Alina Perez, who had singled, on first, Arbuckle lined a shot that got behind the center fielder to the fence. Perez came home and Arbuckle figuratively flew around the basepaths, completing a two-run inside-the-park homer that made it 13-2. The game ended in the bottom of the fifth on a 6-4-3, DeJesus to Perez to Ella Moser double play.

Alysia Elizarrey (6-0) sparkled in relief to pick up the win in the circle. She struck out two Rams to end the second, set FCC down in order in the third, and let her defense record double plays to close out the fourth and fifth.

The top of the Viking order - Arbuckle, DeJesus and Gomez - was incendiary. Arbuckle finished 2-for-3 with three RBI and three runs scored, DeJesus was 2-for-4 with two RBI, and Gomez went 2-for-2 with two RBI and two runs. Mixco and DeJesus tripled, and Bojorquez-Nava, Gomez and Moser all doubled.

The Vikings are making their first state tournament appearance since 2006 and are looking for their third state title trophy (1999, 2004). North No. 1 West Valley opens against South No. 4 El Camino (37-7) Thursday (5/15) at 5:00pm. Other opening matchups include North No. 2 San Mateo (39-3) against South No. 3 Palomar (40-3) at 11:00am, South No. 1 Orange Coast (32-7) vs. North No. 4 Modesto (28-13-1) at 2:00pm, and South No. 2 Cypress (35-9) vs. North No. 3 Yuba (37-7-1).

Tickets are available now on the 3C2A website. Visit the 3C2A website for brackets, and livestream and lodging information.