The Acalanes Dons Softball opened its NCS playoff run in impressive fashion Friday night, defeating the Montgomery Vikings 8-4 at home in the quarterfinals. After earning the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye, the Dons came out aggressive at the plate and delivered a complete team performance to advance to the semifinals.

Acalanes wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in the first inning. Lauren Foster delivered an RBI single to give the Dons an early lead, setting the tone for the offense. The Dons added another run in the second when Vanessa Choi ripped a double down the left field line, extending the advantage.

The biggest spark of the night came in the third inning when junior Santana Tamayo launched a solo home run to center field, energizing both the dugout and the home crowd.

Montgomery battled back and tied the game 4-4 in the top of the fourth, but the Dons responded immediately. In the bottom half of the inning, sophomore June Natal came through with a clutch RBI single to break the tie, followed by an RBI hit from Maya Shoenhair to push the lead to 7-4. From there, Acalanes never looked back.

Shoenhair was strong in the circle, going the distance to earn the win. The senior allowed four runs on eight hits while striking out six over seven innings.

The Dons’ offense was relentless throughout the night, piling up 14 hits and showing patience at the plate with seven walks. Foster led the way with three hits, while Tamayo, Choi, Avery DeMent, and Gabby Huerta each collected multiple hits. Choi also added speed on the bases with two steals as Acalanes totaled four stolen bases in the game.

With the victory, the Dons advance to the NCS semifinals, where they will host St. Joseph Notre Dame on Wednesday, May 27 at 4:30 p.m. at home.

Go Dons! 💙💙💙💙