Coachella Valley Teams Make Historic Runs in CIF Softball and Baseball Championships

The NBC Palm Springs Sports Desk with Tim O’Brien, brought to you by Agua Caliente Casinos.

Welcome back. Spring sports are well represented around the Coachella Valley, with several teams still playing for a championship ring.

The Cathedral City Lions softball team will play for the CIF Southern Section Division 8 Championship in Irvine on Saturday afternoon. The Lady Lions started 1-7 on the season, but head coach Israel Diaz has pushed the Lions to their first-ever CIF Southern Section Championship game. First pitch will be at 1 p.m. on Saturday against Hueneme in Irvine.

Sticking with softball, the Lady Rattlers of Rancho Mirage will battle for the Division 7 championship Friday afternoon following their semifinal win over Westminster. Rancho Mirage is also making history with their first-ever title game. Amiah Olvera and Anelisa Garcia continue to lead the bats, going a combined five for nine with three RBIs on Friday. The championship game is set for 1 p.m. on Friday at Irvine’s Deanna Manning Stadium.

Staying on the diamond, the Rancho Mirage baseball team faced Estancia High School in Costa Mesa on Tuesday. In the top of the third, Edward Carlin broke the scoreless tie with a two-run single. The Rattlers went up 2-0, but the game seesawed, and as of the seventh inning, they were just three outs away from saving their season, down 4-3. The winner of this game will advance to the championship as well. Rancho Mirage, an at-large bid this season, is coming off a 6-0 win over St. Monica Prep last week.

Finally, it’s time for baseball at Palm Springs Stadium. The back-to-back Palm Springs Power champs will take the field this week to start a new season, with milestones in reach. It’s their 21st season in franchise history, with 678 wins—just a few shy of 700. Managed by Casey Dill, the team opens the season Friday night, following last year’s impressive 35-3 record and Dill’s 575 career wins.