Beaumont Softball To Host CIF Semifinal On Tuesday

Hundreds of loyal fans lined the softball field for Thursday’s game at Beaumont High School.

As it turned out those fans watched as history was made right in front of them. Beaumont’s victory that day landed the Cougars the farthest they’ve ever been in the high school playoffs.

On Tuesday Beaumont will host El Monte Arroyo in a CIF-Southern Section Div. 5 semifinal – the winner to advance to the CIF championship game this weekend at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine.

In the other Div. 5 semifinal, top-seeded Rio Hondo League champion La Canada (24-3) hosts Mission Valley League runner-up South El Monte (16-10).

Beaumont’s win – a 9-4 victory over Cabrillo – was special enough. But to see the community show up in force made it special.

“I looked around and you could just see so many people,” Beaumont coach Jim Tickemyer said. “You could see students, former players, former coaches, people from Banning; all here to watch the game. It’s really amazing.”

The players were up to the task and produced one of their best efforts of the season.

“It was amazing,” Stephanie Tickemyer said. “It’s just a good feeling. It’s my senior year. It’s an amazing feeling.”

The numbers are starting to pile up for Beaumont, winner of the Mountain Pass League title.

The second-seeded Cougars (24-4) bring an 11-game win streak to the final four and have won 16 of their last 17 games.

Team wise, Beaumont has 27 home runs and 58 doubles. Nine players have homered and 13 players have at least 10 hits. Nine players have driven in at least 10 runs.

Stephanie Tickemyer leads the team with seven homeruns and she and Alyssa Fuimaono lead the team with 12 doubles. Fuimaono and Kristen Neal have driven in 68 runs.

On the mound, Fuimaono (22-4) has been a steady force. She has struck out 183 batters in 163 innings of work.

“We feel confident in her,” Beaumont catcher Bernadette Moreno said of Fuimaono. “She is good under pressure. We know if she gets into any trouble she will get out of it.”

Arroyo (19-6) isn’t in the final four by accident.

The Knights won the Mission Valley League title with a 14-1 record and bring a
12-game win streak to Tuesday’s game.

The Knights have won nine of 12 on the road and have given up six or more just twice this season.

Arroyo’s Paige Medina is batting  .493 with team highs in hits (35) and RBI (22).
Pitcher Jaclyn Wagner is 16-4 on the mound with 17 complete games. She has
struck out 173 batters.

The game is set for a 3:15 p.m. start at Beaumont High School.