The Rally in the Valley Invitational — the first major girls softball tournament held in Scotts Valley since 2018 — takes place Friday through Sunday at Siltanen Park.
More than 16 regional teams are entered to compete, including tournament host Scotts Valley Trouble Fastpitch, Mountain Dream (San Lorenzo Valley), Cabrillo Crushers (Santa Cruz), and Pajaro Valley Tremblers (Watsonville).
Out of county programs competing include: Toro Softball (Salinas), Pacific Grove Pony All-Stars (Pacific Grove) and San Jose Twisters (San Jose).
The event features three age divisions: 8U, 10U, and 12U.
Action takes place on Friday from 5-8 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. -8:30 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Men’s soccer
UC Santa Cruz recruiting class: UCSC revealed its 2025 incoming class of freshmen on Instagram.
Five of the players are in-state athletes: Roman Avagimov, a defender out of Fremont High in Sunnyvale, Roman Fiechter, a midfielder out of Leigh in San Jose, forward Giovanny Hernandez Lopez and defender Teo Cristea, a defender out of San Rafael, and Zachary Lev, a midfielder out of Venice.
Joshua Kitterman. a midfielder out of Oak Park River Forest High in Oak Park, Illinois, will also compete for the NCAA Division III Banana Slugs.
Cristea’s older brother, Acer, completed his junior season for UCSC in 2024.
The Banana Slugs went 6-2-9 last year and closed the regular season with a six-match unbeaten streak.
Women’s soccer
UCSC recruiting class: UCSC’s incoming recruiting class includes three freshmen and two transfers.
The incoming class includes transfer Kaamna Shankar, a forward/midfielder out of Amador Valley in Pleasanton and San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, and Emily Estrada, a defender out of Saint Mary’s High in Stockton. who previously attended Cal State Bakersfield and University of Oregon.
The three true freshmen include Caroline Alanis, a forward out of Albany High, Ariel Sandoval, a midfielder/defender out of Lincoln in Stockton, and London Mamaril, a midfielder our of Del Norte in San Diego.
The Banana Slugs went 10-2-6 last year. They won the Coast-To-Coast Conference Tournament and qualified for the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Triathlon
Escape From Alcatraz: Two Santa Cruz County residents finished in the top third in the 1,525 athlete field at the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon in San Francisco on Sunday.
Santa Cruz’s Chris Forrest, 41, took 503rd in 3:06:55, and Soquel’s Andrew Giorgianni, 49, took 514th in 3:07:25.
San Francisco’s Dylan Sorensen, 35, took first in 2:09:59. San Francisco’s Kelly Barton, 29, was the stop female. She finished 11th overall in 2:21:01.
Reporting Scores
Coaches are encouraged to report scores and highlights to sports@santacruzsentinel.com following games. Please include your name and contact number in the email.