There’s no debating that Arri Romero is one of the best pitchers in Southern California.
A year ago, as a sophomore at Mater Dei Catholic, the University of Arizona commit was named the San Diego Section Pitcher of the Year.
What sometimes isn’t recognized is Romero’s ability to swing a bat.
On a cool Saturday night at UC San Diego, Romero staged a hitting clinic, clubbing a single, double and home run and knocking in two runs to lead Mater Dei Catholic to a 5-3 win over Point Loma to win its second straight Open Division championship.
After the fact, Point Loma assistant coach Scott Berndes said: “Maybe we should have walked her.”
Romero also pitched a complete game to earn her 25th win of the season.
The win helped Mater Dei set history. The Crusaders have now won four Open Division titles, more than any other school. Dating back to when the school was Marian Catholic, the Crusaders have won 11 section titles, more than any other program. Cathedral Catholic, the former University of San Diego High School, is second with nine.
As for pulling off a repeat, Romero said, “It’s everything we worked for.”
Added co-head coach Liz Centrullo: “It feels amazing, just amazing. I’m so proud of these girls. They worked hard all year. They worked hard for this moment.”
The championship game featured the No. 1-ranked team in the section, Mater Dei Catholic (29-3) against No. 2 Point Loma (23-9).
It didn’t disappoint.
Romero led off the bottom of the first with a rocket double to the wall in left-center. Two outs later, her courtesy runner scored on a Maya Matthies single. Mater Dei upped the lead to 3-0, scoring twice in the third.
Demonstrating that they possess the clutch gene, the Crusaders scored all five runs with two outs.
Point Loma made it a 3-2 game with two runs in the third, although a base-running error prevented the Pointers from tying the game.
Mater Dei answered back in the bottom of the inning with a run, making it 4-2.
In the fourth inning, Romero decided to leave the yard, launching a solo home run to right-center. The Crusaders led 5-2
Said Point Loma coach Bill Hunyady: “After the home run, we decided we were going to walk her whenever she came up again.”
Mater Dei’s Arri Romero #9, center, and teammates celebrate after defeating Point Loma during the CIF San Diego Section Open Division softball final at UCSD Triton Softball Field on Saturday, May 30, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The homer turned out to be Romero’s last trip to the plate.
Point Loma threatened to tie the game in the sixth and probably would have done so if not for the defensive play of the game.
The Pointers had one run in making it 5-3 and the bases loaded with two out. Freshman shortstop Madison Dudley smoked a ground ball that looked ticketed to right field. But MDC first baseman Sunny Sosa dived to her right, fielded the ball, picked herself up and beat Dudley to the bag.
Coming off the field, Sosa spiked the ball off the dirt toward the pitcher’s circle.
“I just knew the bases were loaded, I had two outs,” said Sosa. “And I knew I didn’t want anything to get to the gap. I knew I had nothing to lose, so I might as well dive and get the out.”
“She was doing what Sunny does,” said Centrullo. “She takes a lot of pride in her position and we’re very, very proud of her.”
As for Romero, the University of Arizona will have a decision to make when she arrives on campus in the summer of 2027. Let her pitch only? Or let her pitch and hit?
Asked which she likes better, Romero said, “I like them both.”
The 3-for-3 performance bumped Romero’s batting average to .376. The home run was her fifth of the year. She leads the Crusaders with 31 RBIs.
In the circle, Romero ran her record to 25-3. Her ERA rose to 0.98.
Pressed to assess which the star junior is best at, hitting or pitching, Centrullo, who played at Oklahoma State, said, “I can’t even answer that question because she’s great at both.”
The game was not Romero’s most dominant pitching performance. She gave up 12 hits, but 10 of them were singles. She struck out eight.
“We had a moment where we thought about switching pitchers,” said Centrullo. “But she’s carried us through this whole season. She deserved this. She deserved this win. We knew she was going to fight through it because she always does. That’s just what Arri Romero does. She’s a boss.”
The teams might meet again next week. Both advance to the Southern California Regionals, which begin Tuesday. The schedule will be announced on Sunday afternoon.
Hunyady sounded like he wants a rematch.
“They showed why they’re No. 1,” he said, “but we’re right there with them.”