MORAGA — For the first time in nearly three decades, Liberty has reached the North Coast Section mountain top.
Top-seeded Liberty captured its first section title since 1997 after beating No. 3 Casa Grande 4-0 in the NCS Division I finals on Friday at St. Mary’s College. The Lions snapped a 28-year title drought as Brandi Macias won her first NCS championship in just her third year as coach.
“This is the epitome of teamwork and belief in one another and I’m just so proud of them,” Macias said.
“We knew that the support we have within the community has been something they have just been wanting so badly, and so there was that underlying pressure for them. But these girls wanted to give that to Liberty High School. We knew how big this game was, but we really came in just wanting to play our game and stay as consistent as we could.”
Liberty poses with their NCS Division I softball championship trophy after defeating Casa Grande 4-0, Friday, May 30, 2025, at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Two days after striking out 11 in the NCS semifinals against Foothill, Illinois State-bound junior Kate Skinner fanned 13 and allowed two hits in a complete-game shutout to lead Liberty to a D1 crown.
Friday’s win was a full circle moment for Liberty as the Lions’ last loss was to Casa Grande in April at the Livermore Stampede Tournament. Since then, the Brentwood school has won 15 straight games.
“We wanted revenge and we wanted to win,” Skinner said. “We wanted to come out and just battle. We were just hungry to play. We wanted to do everything in our power to win.”
Liberty starting pitcher Kate Skinner reacts after getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning against Casa Grande in the NCS Division I softball championship at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif., Friday, May 30, 2025. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Liberty put the first run of the game on the board when Kaitlyn Macias scored Taylor Jennings in the bottom of the first inning on a line-drive single down the left field line.
That run alone was a huge confidence booster for Liberty after it was shutout in its first meeting with Casa Grande.
“When I hit that I said, ‘We can do this guys,” Kaitlyn said.
Liberty’s Kaitlyn Macias #21 strokes an RBI double in the first inning against Casa Grande in the NCS Division I softball championship at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif., Friday, May 30, 2025. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Skinner’s dominance started early as she retired the side through the first three innings.
Casa Grande had its best chance to put runs on the board in the fourth inning when the Gauchos loaded the bases with one out. But Skinner came up huge, striking out two consecutive batters to get out of the inning unscathed.
“I was just trusting my coaches and what pitches they were calling,” Skinner said about getting out of the fourth-inning jam. “I know I’m good and I know what I’m doing.”
After Liberty went up 2-0 after the fifth inning, the Lions put the game away for good in the sixth.
Liberty opened the inning with three consecutive singles, going up three runs after Kaylee Bunch scored from third on a Casa Grande error. In the next at-bat, junior Madison Tuttle knocked in Savannah Page on a single down the middle that gave Liberty a commanding 4-0 lead.
Liberty’s Taylor Jennings, left, high fives Savannah Page who scored in a sixth inning rally against Casa Grande in the NCS Division I softball championship at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif., Friday, May 30, 2025. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Facing the bottom of Casa Grande’s order in the top of the seventh, Skinner needed just six pitches to retire the side. As shortstop Kelsie Skaggs caught the final out to end the game, the celebration was on.
Liberty players rushed from their dugout, jumping up and down with smiles on their faces. Macias rushed to the pitcher’s circle to give as many hugs as she could to her players. Screams of ‘We did it,’ were loud enough for the entire St. Mary’s campus to hear.
Liberty starting pitcher Kate Skinner #12 leaps after the final out is made in a 4-0 victory over Casa Grande in the NCS Division I softball championship at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif., Friday, May 30, 2025. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
In her first year as Liberty’s coach, Macias went 12-15. The Lions had their best season in over 20 years in 2024, but came up short in the NCS semifinals.
“It’s a coach’s dream to come into a program where there wasn’t much belief here and the focus was about the other programs,” Macias said. “They needed to believe in themselves and understand what they’re capable of doing. And they did that. I’ll tell you what these girls can do and that’s just about anything if you believe in them.”
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The Lions will get to enjoy this win for now, but will be preparing for another playoff run next week. Liberty will likely be in the CIF NorCal Division I bracket with the other top teams in Northern California. Liberty will know its division placement and playoff seed on Sunday after the CIF seeding meeting.
Macias said she is hoping Liberty will get to host a home game.
“(Seeding) matters because we want to be at home,” she said. “So if we can be in a higher seed, we would be so proud to host, so that’s our goal. Whatever that seed needs to be. I’m not going to list a number. I just want to be at home.”
Liberty and Casa Grande prepare to square off in the NCS Division I softball championship at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif., Friday, May 30, 2025. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Liberty’s Taylor Jennings #33 stands on 2nd base next to Lauren Ketchu of Casa Grande after a fifth inning double in the NCS Division I softball championship at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif., Friday, May 30, 2025. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Liberty’s Kaitlyn Macias #21 strokes an RBI double in the first inning against Casa Grande in the NCS Division I softball championship at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif., Friday, May 30, 2025. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Liberty poses with their NCS Division I softball championship trophy after defeating Casa Grande 4-0, Friday, May 30, 2025, at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Liberty pitcher Kate Skinner #12 hoists the NCS Division I softball championship trophy after pitching a complete game, 4-0 victory over Casa Grande at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif., Friday, May 30, 2025. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Liberty starting pitcher Kate Skinner #12 and catcher Isabella Rice celebrate after getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning against Casa Grande in the NCS Division I softball championship at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif., Friday, May 30, 2025. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)