IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers SUPPORT SYSTEM- Pioneer catcher Briana Deflavio, center, embraces Sophia Perez, No. 32, after losing to Valencia. Well, they couldn't win 'em all.

The Simi Valley High softball team ended a stellar season last Saturday, losing to Valencia High 3-0 in the CIFSouthern Section Division I championship game at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine.

It was the second straight year the Pioneers were eliminated by Valencia and was the team's only loss after winning its first 30 games of the season.

"When the game was over I told my club that they had one great season," Simi Valley head coach Russ Michael said.

"Odds are you're going to lose at least one game during the season. It was just unfortunate our loss came in the last one. Still, I told my team to hold their heads up high."

Senior shortstop Sam Fischer, who previously said in an Acorn article that it wouldn't be a disappointment if the team lost in the playoffs after going undefeated in the regular season, changed her mind afterward.

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers NOT THEIR DAY- Simi Valley High shortstop Sam Fischer is late with the tag on Valencia's Alyssa Garza during the Division I softball final in Irvine. Simi lost the game, 3-0, to finish 30-1. "Yeah, I lied," Fischer said while fighting tears. "This hurts. I hurt physically and mentally.

"It would be a total different story if this was a league game against Westlake or something, but this is something different. This is the championship game."

Senior Rebecca Grant echoed her teammate's statement.

"This is disappointing and it hurts, sure, but the thing that is even more upsetting is that it's my last time playing high school softball," Grant said. "It kills me that this happened to this team, because I loved playing with these girls so much."

The Pioneers dominated opposing pitchers all year long with a team batting average of .328 entering Saturday's finale, but Simi Valley couldn't get anything going against Valencia pitcher Jessica Spigner.

Spigner allowed just four hits in a complete game shutout and needed only 90 pitches to finish off SVHS.

With Simi Valley struggling offensively, it didn't make things any easier when the Pioneers uncharacteristically had trouble on the field.

Although the day started on a high note defensively when leftfielder Brianna Stephan crashed into the wall to make a spectacular grab, it was all downhill from that point forward.

A throwing error by Fischer off a Shannon Fitzgerald ground ball in the bottom of the second inning led to the first Viking run when senior Alyssa Garza drove in Fitzgerald moments later on a single to right.

Valencia extended its lead to 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth when Fitzgerald scored again, this time on a Madison Shipman single to center.

Valencia took advantage of the Pioneers' poor defense again in the fifth inning when freshman Bethany Kemp drove home Justin Sibthorp on an RBI double to right.

Sibthorp had reached third when center fielder Jessica Soria's attempt to throw her out went into the Simi Valley dugout.

"Our defense had been one of the main keys for our success this year, so for us to struggle was weird," Fischer said.

"This team hadn't made it past the second round in a long time, and I believe the magnitude of this game got to us."

Although SVHS trailed by three entering the sixth, the team would not go away easily.

With two outs, junior Amber Olive slapped an infield single to third. Soria followed with a single of her own to left field to bring up the potential tying run in Stephan.

Spigner escaped trouble, however, when she got the junior left fielder to pop out to center.

Down to their last three outs in the seventh, Fischer beat out an infield single in her last at-bat to lead off the inning.

Two batters later, senior Haley Thomas walked to once again bring the potential tying run to the plate in senior Ali Mapes.

Mapes hit a line drive rocket right at Spigner, who caught it on the fly and then threw to first to complete the double play and the seal the championship.

"Off the bat it looked like a sure hit," Fischer said of Mapes' lineout. "(Spigner) made a great play, and you have to give Valencia a lot of credit. They played a better game than us today."

Grant said although the loss stung, in a few weeks the team would heal and look at their season in a more positive light.

"Eventually we'll see this as just another game and appreciate that we were one of the only teams to ever win 30 games," Grant said.

"But even more than that, I'll remember every single girl on this team, and how each player had so much heart and gave it everything they had."