It was a heavyweight battle between two of the top teams in the state as the No. 6 ranked Cypress Chargers (31-11,19-5) hosted the No. 9 Santa Ana Dons (33-7, 20-4) in the 2022 Orange Empire Conference Tournament Championship game on Wednesday afternoon.

With the stage set, the two teams put on a show to close the OEC softball season on a high note.

The game was intense right from the start as Santa Ana took advantage of a two out rally in the top of the first inning to go up 3-0.

Freshman outfielder Alexis Rangel singled to right field to drive in freshman designated player Sarah Casey for the first run of the game. The Dons starting pitcher, Emily Rosas, then helped herself with an infield single to third to bring another run home before Vinnie Robles scored on a wild pitch to cap the inning.

After the action packed first inning, the Chargers displayed their championship DNA as they settled in and began to chip away at the lead.

Sophomore pitcher Emily Rush responded well as she shook off the tough start and shut down the Santa Ana offense for the next two innings to allow the Chargers to get back into the game.

In the third, freshman center fielder Cameron Curiel put Cypress on the board as she ran out an inside the park homerun to left field, swinging the momentum in the Chargers favor.

Following another scoreless inning from the Dons, the Chargers used that momentum to add another run on a single to left field from shortstop Camryn Addimando, making it a one run game (3-2) with three innings left to play.

Although Santa Ana threatened to score on multiple occasions, they just could not manage to bring any more across the plate, leaving the game up to their defense. 

In the end, the Dons held on to win as Rosas retired the last nine Charger batters, securing the 3-2 victory and the OEC tournament championship.

Santa Ana earned its first Orange Empire Conference Softball Championship since 2001 and its fifth in school history with the win.